Dance Of The Basilisk
by Muggle07
Summary: Sequel to "Almost Cheaper By The Dozen". Harry and Severus are back with a large family. Are they ready to face the second year adventures. So many kids, so much trouble to get into. Story is AU "Discipline of Teens" Don't read if this bothers you!
1. Death Eaters Attack

**CHAPTER 1- Death Eaters Attack**

Harry thought that the train seemed very full of students this year. "I thought the Aurors were supposed to be riding the train also" said Harry.

"That is what the folks told us" replied Hermione, "But I don't see any."

"Well I guess we had best do what we can just in case Lucius decides to create problems and attack the train" said Draco.

"My Dad and Severus said that they were not going to go with us because the Aurors were going to be on board. I bet our folks are going to go bonkers when they find out we are riding by ourselves" said Ron.

"Harry, you have the best Patronus so why don't you send a message off to Mom and Dad? asked Hermione.

"I'll give it a try, we should at least try and warn them" replied Harry. He then sent his Patronus with the message, 'Aurors not on board, we are alone'!

Harry and the kids made the rounds trying to organize the older kids into different areas of the train. They explained that the train was vulnerable and that they needed to take some responsibility in protecting the younger students. They had to stroke a lot of egos as everyone seemed to want to just play and touch base with friends they hadn't seen over the summer. By telling the older students that they (the poor young vulnerable kids) looked up to them and expected them to be strong and protect them, they touched many Ego's and gained support for their plan. It was amazing how a few whimpers and big 'cow-eyes' can work in these situations.

In their heart of hearts they all hoped that all this planning would not be necessary. They knew they were doing well in dueling, but they really didn't want to have to put it to work on the real thing yet. "OK, does everyone know who your partner is and do you have the tools you need?" asked Harry. Everyone did an inventory and nodded yes.

With everything ready they sat and waited. They tried to read and play games but were just too nervous to concentrate and kept watching the skies and listening for the popping of apparations. They even kept the door to their compartment open so they could hear down the hallways.

"We have passed the first place that provided an area that was good for an ambush" said Ron. "The next one is about an hour away according to our map. Everyone best hit the restroom and shrink down all your belongings that are not already shrunk."

Harry had a bad feeling and felt that Ron was not feeling at all comfortable. Something was in the air but he couldn't place the 'what or where'. About an hour later, Ron tensed up as they came close to the next good ambush point, which caused everyone else to tense up.

"Ginny and Luna" said Harry, "Lucius will be looking for some of us before trying to find you because he might not remember that you start school this year. So if something does happen, I want the two of you to hide in the tree line, when it is safe, port-key to Hogwarts and get help. We will really be depending on you because I don't know if my Patronus worked, they should have been here by now. It's really dangerous but I know you can pull it off". Ginny and Luna looked at each other then gulped but nodded yes.

They didn't have to wait very long before the train started to slow down. "This shouldn't be happening" said Ron, "Get ready to fly and draw them off. They are probably in the engineers cab making him stop the train."

"Ok," said Harry, "As soon as it stops let's fly off toward those woods. Remember we have to let them see us but stay low so that the trees can help block us from their spells."

Ginny and Luna made their way to the last car and stood on the outside stoop. They were under their cloak, ready to jump off the train and hide. Once the train came to a stop they jumped off and ran to the tree line where they hid under some branches and waited until the others could draw off the Death Eaters. They just hoped that all the Death Eaters followed and they didn't leave any behind to mess with the kids on the train.

The rest of the Companions exited from three different doors on the train and headed for the forest. Harry flew close to the windows where he saw some of the Death Eaters and they would see him.

It worked they saw him. There was a cry from the Death Eaters and they piled off the train, pointing at the kids and cussing a lot. Lucius told them to search the train quickly and grab brooms from the kids. "Do not waste your time with the kids, the ones we want are running away, just get a broom and get back here fast". It only took ten minutes for the ten or so Death Eaters to round up some brooms and get back to Lucius. When they were gathered together again they all took off after Harry and his group.

After they left, Ginny and Luna Port-keyed to Hogwarts.

Harry and the group headed toward the dense forest. Looking back he could see that the Death Eaters were following so the plan was working. He just hoped that the rest of it worked. He was a bit put out that the train wasn't moving yet. He hoped that once they drew off the Death Eaters the Engineer would start up the train and get it moving toward the castle.

They had studied the map and knew that if they could get over the hill top ahead of them the Death Eaters would lose sight of them for a short time. During this 'blindness' they were supposed to drop down into the forest and 'hug a tree'. This part of the plan worked out and they dipped down to the ground, each finding a spot near a large tree to get under their invisibility cloaks and hide.

Harry and Draco were under one cloak and as soon as they landed Draco brought out one of the sensors that they had confiscated from Professor Dumbledore's supply room. The sensor would alert them if anyone from the dark side was approaching and from what direction. Right now it did register a dark presence but they were still flying up in the air.

Harry hoped that by the time they noticed that the kids were not visible they would fly a bit further before landing to check things out. For the most part that worked out according to plan but Lucius sent a couple of the Death Eaters back to retrace their path and they were landing periodically to check the area.

The problem for them was to figure out how long to keep the Death Eaters hunting for them. The longer they chased the kids, the more time the train had to get to the castle and the more time the Parents and Teachers had to get to the train. Ron figured out that the train was about three hours away from the castle so they had to keep these Death Eaters busy until then.

One of them landed not twenty feet from them and was looking around for signs of the kids. Everyone stayed very still and very quiet, hoping that he would leave again.

After a few moments his friend, who was still flying above, called out to him, "Let's get going we have a lot of territory to cover". Harry decided at that moment to attack and secure this Eater, so he signed to Draco to bind him then Harry then hit him with 'Stunning Spell'. This Death Eater was now down, silent and secure. They now waited on the second one to come and check on the first one. It didn't take long and they proceeded to do the same thing to him.

"Now we have to get out of here fast" said Harry. Having said that they started running in the direction that Ron told them they would eventually find the castle. They wanted to worry Lucius and keep him busy hunting, but also put as much distance between themselves and the Death Eaters as they possibly could.

They must have been jogging for at least an hour when they came upon a river. It was then that they realized how much their Fitness Class had helped them out. The river was not very wide but it would provide them with a water supply other than their wands, and a land mark that they could check against the map to make sure of their location and they were where they were supposed to be.

"It's going to be dark soon" said Hermione. "We need to find a place to stay the night. I don't think it would be wise to travel in this forest at night and we sure can't build a fire, someone could see it from a long way off."

As they were looking around they found a cave, where the entrance was blocked except for a small space that you had to squeeze past. Ron and Draco decided to check out the inside to make sure that some creature was not already calling it home. Once inside there was plenty of room and there were no prints in the dirt which told them nothing else resided there. If they were careful they could cover the entrance and build a fire inside where no one could see it. It provided safety in that no one could get in very fast and especially without one of them hearing them.

They filled the plastic containers they brought with them with water and squeezed themselves into the cave. Once inside they erected one of the tent-homes they had confiscated from Dumbledore. It was a multi-room magical tent with a Loo included. Harry looked at it once they had it up and just smiled, saying to himself, 'I do love magic'.

When they finished setting up their camp they put out numerous spy-ware products that would warn them of trouble, blocked the front entry, built a small fire then settled down to eat dinner and discuss what they were going to do next. There was really no reason to have a fire except that it just felt right. Hermione told them that camping was not camping if they couldn't have a fire. They all just looked at her then remembered the campfire they had during the summer where they roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. There were no hotdogs or marshmallows but they could sit around the fire for awhile and talk about what to do next.

Harry said, "I think we can use our port-key's and return to the castle in the morning. That should be enough time for the train to have returned the kids to safety".

"I agree," said Neville, "We have given them all the time we can without putting ourselves in a lot of danger we can't handle. Our folks are not going to be very happy with what we already did but even they would have to agree we didn't have a choice. But now we do have a choice and we need to pick the safe one." It would seem that Severus and his teaching was sticking with them.

Everyone agreed and after a time of just enjoying the fire and thinking they proceeded to go to their beds.

**********

Severus and the adults arrived back at the castle after dropping the kids off at the train station and continued with their preparations for the arrival of the students that evening. Each of them had chores that had to be completed but at least it was not a rush because it was Thursday and classes would not start until Monday. It was one of those funny years when the first of September fell on a day when it just did not make good sense to start classes the next day. The by-laws stated that the students had to arrive on the first but nobody could remember why other than it had always been that way. It was another one of those acts caught in the idea of tradition that made no sense but had to be kept.

It was afternoon when Harry's patronus arrived beside Severus sharing with him the bad news. Severus ran to Dumbledore's office as quickly as he could finding Dumbledore, Alice, Minerva and Lupin having tea and discussing inventory.

"Dad, we have problems" said Severus. "I just received a patronus from Harry stating that the Aurors are not on the train, they are alone and very worried about an attack."

Albus went directly and Floo called the office of Aurors. Moody quickly answered and looked at Albus and quickly said, "Albus what in the world are you doing in your office, I thought you were going to be on the train?"

Albus replied, "I was told that the Aurors would be on the school train Moody, what happened?"

"Well," replied Moody, "Fudge told us you decided to handle the kids and that we would not be needed."

"It sounds like Fudge is playing some dangerous games with us" said Albus. "Join us we are headed to the train now and will meet you there."

With that Albus asked Minerva to watch the castle, as it could be a trap, and told the rest to get their brooms. "We are not sure where they are so apparition is not a possibility right now".

About that time Madam Pomfrey's face appeared in the fire. Albus, "Ginny and Luna have just arrived in the hospital. They look to be Ok but need to talk with you right now, can they come through?"

"Of course Poppy, send them through" replied Albus.

Ginny and Luna shared with them what happened and the plan that the Companions had put together to draw the Death Eaters away from the train and the rest of the kids. She gave them a map so they could apparate and also showed them the route that Harry would be taking once they left the train. "They will use their port-key once they feel that the train and the kids are safe."

When Albus and the Order arrived at the train they found no Death Eaters but the Engineer was dead. The Death Eaters had also killed two seventh years and one first year. The kids were crying but managed to tell them that the Death Eaters came in looking for brooms. The Seventh Years tried to protect the younger kids but the Death Eaters just shot the "Avada Kadavra" curse at them as they walked through and grabbed the brooms.

Moody arrived shortly and one of his men knew how control the train so they got it started toward Hogwarts. Leaving a contingent on the train to help guard it against any future attack the rest of them went hunting for the Companions and the Death Eaters.

Albus, his crew and the Aurors that were not on the train followed the plan, shared with them by Ginny and Luna, as they tried to trace Harry's path. Moody's special eye warned him that there were Death Eaters ahead so he told everyone to spread out and hug the tree line. He was hoping that the Death Eaters were busy looking for Harry and they could sneak up on them.

They were almost right next to them before the Death Eaters saw them coming and started firing curses at them. An aerial war ensued with the 'light' cursing three of the Death Eaters out of the air before the rest of them port-keyed out of the area leaving their brooms to fall into the woods.

Moody left two Aurors to secure the dead and send them to headquarters. The rest of them tried to find where Harry and his team had landed. Lupin was the first to notice the smell of 'human' although it was not his cub. They all landed to find two more Death Eaters stunned and tied up. Moody sent them to headquarters while Lupin looked around to see if his senses could pick up any traces or tracks.

**********

Harry and the kids had been asleep just a few hours when a weird groan swept through the forest and into the cave. The kids all woke up as the tent fell down around them. They struggled to climb out of the mass of tarp until they had everyone out. Hermione pulled out her wand and cast a "Lumos" so she could see what had happened. When nothing happened she cast it again and still nothing happened. "Hey guys, I think we have big problems here" she said.

"Harry, try and cast a spell with your wand" said Hermione. Harry tried to cast "Lumos" and again nothing happened. "Ron, build up the fire quick, I think it might be the only light we will have right now" said Hermione.

As Ron piled more wood on the fire each of the kids tried to do something with their wands but none of the magic worked.

Hermione then got a very sick look on her face. "Guys, I am going to try to use my port-key, I don't think it will work but if it does then the rest of you follow right away, OK?" The rest of them nodded as she grabbed her port-key and said "Companions". Hermione was correct with her assumption, nothing happened.

"What is going on Hermione" asked Harry. "Why can't we use magic anymore?"

"I think it has to do with this part of the forest Harry. I remember reading in 'Hogwarts a History' a story about a portion of the forest that does not allow magic. We must be on the edge of it and it just took a bit of time for it to reach out and circle us. We are going to have to get to Hogwarts without magic, which is not a trip that I look forward to very much."

Ron stood up and after a moment he said, "OK, let's salvage what we can from this mess that we might be able to use. It looks like the blankets are in tact and we can take some of this tarp to use later as protection. Our food and the like are all shrunk so it won't do us any good but the plastic containers of water look to be Ok."

After they had salvaged and packed what they could of their possessions they sat around the fire and began to discuss their options.

"We can go back the way we came and probably get out of this 'non magic' area" said the Twins.

"But then again the Death Eater might be back that way also" said Percy. "We took two of them down but as I figure it that still leaves about eight to go. The ones we did take down were probably the stupid ones and I don't figure Lucius to be that careless."

Harry spoke up saying, "I think we ought to stay right here. We all know that our folks will be looking for us and the deeper we go into that forest the more dangerous it gets. We are pretty safe in this cave and if something attacks we have a very good chance of winning what with the doorway being so narrow. I don't think an adult could get in here, I mean most of us had to squeeze through. We have a river to try and catch some fish and we can pick berries or something. If we put our heads together I am sure we can survive until they find us. If Ginny and Luna made it back they will have given them a map showing our route."

George added, "I agree, knowing Severus and the rest of them they are not going to just sit and wait for us to return."

Fred jumped in, "You know, Lupin will be with them and if some of us 'guys' go out and mark a few trees he will be able to smell us what with his super nose and all."

"You know that is a great idea" said Hermione. "But you need to go out in pairs and watch out for each other. Also if we could think of some type of map that they would recognize and not the Death Eaters then we could lead them to us if they find one of the marked trees."

Percy added, "That would work we could use the phrase 'a great place for bats like you to live in' or 'bat house before dungeons'. If we marked each tree with that phrase then they would know to look for caves. Then with Lupin's smelling abilities it should not be a problem. We just have to hope that he comes with them."

"He should" said Hermione, "The full moon in not for another couple weeks."

Everyone agreed that this was the best plan so they divided into teams, those who would drink a lot of water and mark trees, those who would look for berries and eggs, and those who would figure out how to fish.

About lunch time there were a number of boys who would be very happy not to have to drink water again for a very long time. The freshly caught fish, caught with grubs, on a makeshift hook tied to nylon thread, was roasting on the fire. There were eggs for breakfast and a number of unhappy birds along with fresh berries.

Now they just needed Lupin's nose to go to work.


	2. Fudge Loses His Pants

**CHAPTER 2-Fudge Loses His Pants **

Moody had sent the two Death Eaters, found tied up in the woods, to headquarters where they would be processed and interrogated quickly and an update be sent to Moody. Meanwhile Albus called the group together to discuss a plan of action.

Albus started by saying, "I have a feeling that the kids are now on foot. They would know that the Death Eaters are flying nearby so flying would be very dangerous indeed. Perhaps they planned on walking for awhile then using their port-key when they felt enough time had elapsed and the train was safe."

"I think you're right Albus" said Lupin. "I've noticed a lot of tracks going off in that direction and they are trotting. They want to get out of the area but not move too fast so they won't tire quickly. I think they feel they are buying time for the rest of the kids to get away safely. It's probably a good idea to follow the tracks and see where they lead."

"I agree with Lupin", said Moody. "I can low-ride on my broom, that's what we call taking the place of walking, so I don't tire out trying to walk a long time on this stump of a leg."

They took off following Lupin who was following the trail left by the kids. After an hour or so, Moody' broom quit flying and fell to the ground. "What the hell is going on," asked Moody. "My ruddy broom broke, can I use one of yours?"

"Sure" Lupin said, handing him a broom. Moody tried to make it fly and it just fell to the ground and acted like a muggle broom. "This is crazy," said Moody.

"Perhaps not so crazy" replied Albus. "It's long been rumored that a portion of this forest will not allow magic to enter. They say when you try to use magic it's like it just doesn't exist. I think perhaps we have found that spot. Try and use your wands."

They tried using their wands but once again it was like there was no magic.

"Well, I suggest we walk back to a place where we can use magic and set up camp for the night. It will be dark soon and we need to settle in so we can get an early start in the morning," said Albus.

With that they walked back to a point where they could use their wands and using transfiguration spells set up a comfortable campsite for the night.

The next morning they rose early and headed once again in the direction that was indicated on Harry's map. After an hour or so Lupin started to get a wiff of human odor. "Has anyone just relieved themselves?" he asked.

Everyone shook their head letting him know that this smell had to be a human outside this group. He followed the smell from tree to tree for another hour then he started laughing.

Severus looked at him and asked, "What is so funny Lupin?"

"These kids are damn smart Severus, and I mean really smart. They are probably up ahead having found a safe place to hide. They have assumed, and correctly so, that we would come to find them. When they found out they couldn't use their magic I bet they hunkered down to wait, not wanting to head back toward the Death Eaters, but they didn't leave it to chance. They assumed that I would be with you and the boys have come out here and marked a bunch of trees with their urine so I would get the scent. They also left you a message Severus, letting you know where they are hiding."

"Where?" asked Severus.

"Right here on these trees, see the carvings and what they say, 'House for bats before dungeons'" said Lupin.

"A cave" said Severus. "How rude, wait till I get a hold of them."

Albus just laughed his head off then said, "OK, Lupin lead the way."

A bit later he said, "I think we are getting close because I also smell fish cooking."

Soon they came to a river and the fish smell was stronger. Looking around Severus spotted a cave and pointed it out to the rest of them.

"I don't think we ought to just walk up to the cave because I'm not a hundred percent positive that it's them or that they are alone. From the looks of the doorway we couldn't get in there anyway," said Lupin.

Albus nodded at Severus and Severus, taking the hint, called out for his kids, calling Harry 'the Brat'. There was silence then they saw Harry looking out the doorway with a big smile on his face.

Soon they all came out and greeted the rescue team. "It's good to see you guys we thought you would never get here," said the Twins, "We left clues and everything and we cooked you some breakfast if you would like to eat fish with no seasoning."

Albus, with his 'eye twinkle'said, "No, you need to gather your stuff or I should say, my stuff, and we need to get going. The Death Eaters could return and we are going to have to walk for about an hour before we can port-key out of here."

As they walked out Harry and the kids shared with them everything that happened to them and the adults shared that Ginny and Luna arrived safely and what they found when they reached the train.

Harry was silent after hearing about the deaths on the train, and Severus put his arm around his shoulders. "You guys probably saved a lot of lives. I am sorry that some had to die but if those Death Eaters had stayed on that train I can guarantee there would be a lot more of them dead."

The Twins turned to Moody and asked, "And just where were you guys, not one of you went with us even though we all knew that there was a good chance there would be trouble."

"Fudge told us that Albus was handling security and we didn't have to worry about it," replied Moody.

"Since when do we all start trusting Fudge" asked Harry. "We all know that Lucius has him in his hip pocket and you just took his word for it that everything was fine. You didn't even Floo Professor Dumbledore to verify?"

"You know what Potter," said Moody "I have enough to deal with and I really don't need a twelve year old kid, on my back, being rude. I know you are used to everyone bending to your will but I am not one of them. I did what I was ordered to do, and I did the best I could do under the circumstances so keep your opinions to yourself."

"Harry" said Severus, "You will show respect for your elders, no matter if you agree with them or not, do you understand me?"

Harry responded, "Yes Sir" but then moved away from Severus to walk with the other kids. When they arrived back to where they could use magic Moody's artificial leg crumbled under him, having rusted through.

"What in the world, POTTER did you do this?" asked Moody.

"Moody, it was probably the forest" said Albus, "Your leg is partially magic and the forest curse has probably been eating through it ever since we entered the non magic zone."

"Oh, well, I guess that makes sense. I hate it when this leg breaks because it takes forever to get a new one." With that he sat on his broom and flew off without saying another word to Harry.

As Moody flew off, Albus turned to the kids with a look on his face that said, "I know what you did!" Then he walked off.

Severus put his hand on Harry's shoulder and whispered in his ear, "We will discuss this further after we settle this mess."

"Yes Sir" Harry replied, knowing that his Dad knew that he had spelled Moody's leg with rust and he was not a bit happy about it. Harry knew there would be a price to pay but he also felt that Moody knew better and if he had done his job those kids might still be alive. A rusted leg was a small price to pay for such a blunder.

The rest of the kids were trying to hold in their laughs. They had seen Harry move his wand and they knew when the leg crumbled what he had done. They also felt, after seeing Severus whisper in his ear, Harry was either; very, very, brave or very, very stupid.

************

They finally were able to port-key back to Hogwarts infirmary where they were greeted by Poppy and Minerva. Poppy jumped up and came over wanting to know if everyone was healthy.

Being assured that everyone was in fine health she put her wand away and let Minerva have their ear.

"Albus" said Minerva, "Fudge is in your office and wants to talk with you right away. What in the world is going on, he is acting like you were all killed or something. I definitely don't think he expects to see any of you walk in there healthy."

"Well Minerva, it would seem that our Minister has been playing a few games with us for the benefit of Lucius. I don't think there is enough evidence to prove it but I plan on trying to make him feel very uncomfortable as he has a lot to answer for. Shall we all go to my office? You kids come with us, I want him to see that you are all in fine shape and ready to start school."

Albus made his comments with a lack of twinkle in his eye and a low growl in his voice, so the upcoming meeting promised to be at least entertaining.

They all arrived in the Head Masters office only to find Fudge sitting in one of the chairs in front of Professor Dumbledore's desk. He rose slowly when he saw all of them enter the office and it was clear on his face that he had expected to see a totally different picture.

"Hmmm............ well, it's good to see that you all made it back safe and sound. Minerva informed me that we had to find a new engineer for the train as Mr. Owen had been killed. I know the kids are saying that it was Death Eaters but I have my doubts, it was probably just a bunch of thugs out to create trouble."

"Don't insult our intelligence Fudge" said Albus. "If I were to collect the memories of the people involved and submitted them to the Daily Prophet I wonder if the people would agree with you about your 'thug' theory? I want to know from you why you pulled security from the train that was transporting the children of the people you are supposed to be serving, and lied to the Aurors?."

"I have to allocate our support according to priorities and there were higher priorities at the time to be taken care of. Also, you do not run the Ministry Albus, as much as you might think you do so I would appreciate it if you would stay out of my business."

Albus responded, "If you actually had higher concerns, then Moody and the Aurors would not have been sitting at their headquarters, after being told by you not to guard the train, doing paperwork. I am sure the wife of the engineer and the parents of those students who were killed today will want to 'mess in your business' when I finish telling them the whole story."

Fudge turned very pale and began to stutter. "I I I have work to do Dumbledore, and I just wanted to be here to greet you and make sure you were safe. So if you will excuse me, I'll be off." With that he stepped into the Floo heading to the Ministry.

As he disappeared in the Floo the kids noticed, as did Severus, the movement of Draco's wand and the fact that the Minister was so shook up that he didn't even notice that his pants were missing. He would be able to take care of it when he came to his senses but they all hoped it might not be until after he arrived in his office and others were able to enjoy the sight.

Severus looked at Draco and whispered in his ear, "You can come with Harry when we have our little talk". Draco knew what that meant but he, like Harry, felt that in this case it just might be worth the temporary discomfort.

"Well," said Albus, "We moved the welcoming feast to tonight so we will see you all there. I have a feeling that it will not be a celebration as in other years because we have lost three students, but it will be a time of gathering together."

About that time Fudge's face appeared in the Floo demanding to know who had banished his pants and demanding that they be punished. Albus answered, "Minister Fudge when you left here your pants were intact so I have to assume that you must have lost them in the Floo. Might I suggest suspenders or a tighter belt."

With that Fudge said a couple really bad words and a threat that if he found the culprit he would press charges then he pulled his head out of the Floo and shut it down.

Albus then asked everyone to be seated. About then Ginny and Luna came in, having been called by the House Elves. "I just want to share with you all how proud we are of you all".

Severus added, "You really did a wonderful job of saving those kids. You acted within your abilities, and you didn't put yourselves in unnecessary danger. I am especially proud of the fact that you trusted us enough to know that we would come after you and you stayed put instead of trying to go through that forest to the castle. You might not have made it in one piece as there are tons of very dangerous creatures out there. Add to that, the fact, that you could not use magic and it could have been a disaster. You thought out your options and you chose the right ones and you kept yourself as safe as you could. We couldn't ask for anymore than that! And I will let the bat cave joke go..............for now anyway," he said with a smurk.

"I have to agree" said Lupin. "Your plan included the ability to utilize not only your own skill but the presumed skill of others like my ability to smell.........that was spot on!"

Albus concluded, "Anyway I know we are always harping on you for the bad stuff and the stupid mistakes but this time you did shine and we appreciate your efforts. Now why don't you go down to the kitchens and get a spot of lunch."

The kids, all laughing, and feeling very good about themselves, headed to the kitchen and the adults stayed to talk and eat their lunch in Albus' office.

Albus asked Severus, "I know Harry took care of Moody but I didn't catch who took care of Fudge?"

"Draco," replied Severus. "We will all have a meeting to discuss their diplomacy techniques tomorrow" he smurked.

Albus laughed then said, "Don't be too hard on them. It took every bit of restraint I had not to do the same thing. But I understand that if you let them get away with it, then we just might be next and I do value keeping my pants on in public, not to mention that this will just make Fudge that much more determined to bring harm to us. We can ill afford to lose Moody's support and when he thinks about it long enough he just might put the dots together."

The kids hit the kitchen and the House Elves were all over them. They sat down to a wonderful lunch, much more than any of them could eat. "You know, Dad has changed so much that I sometimes forget his old strict ways until we step into it" said Harry.

"Yes," said Draco, "I forget at times just how strict he is, but I have a hunch we are about to be reminded. I have to say this is one time I am not sorry and it will be worth it. I don't understand how they can let that idiot run the Ministry. It is so obvious that Lucius has him in his back pocket and is feeding him money on the side. I sure wish Dumbledore could get the goods on him and put him away in Azkaban where he belongs."

"I agree" said Hermione. The ministry comes down on people with very little, if any, evidence, but with the Minister, you almost have to catch him red handed and even then it is still a big question mark."

"Moody is the one who ticks me off" said Harry. "He knew better, he is not a stupid man and I can't figure out why he didn't check with Dumbledore. I mean he is part of the Order and it's not like he doesn't know what's happening."

"Well you guys" said the Twins, "We only have one free weekend left so what do you want to do? We have a lot of unfinished business."

"As far as Draco and I go, we will have to wait to see if Dad adds grounding to the list of punishments when we have our 'talk'" said Harry. "Also, we need to get all this equipment back up to Dumbledore's room. From what he said he already knows we were using it but it looks like he isn't going to say anything about it right now and I am sure glad. But it might go better for us if we put it back tonight, what do you think?"

Ron answered, "If you guys will gather it all up, the Twins and I can put it back right after lunch, that way we won't have to worry about it."

"Ginny and Luna, how was your trip back, were you able to get out of the train without being seen?" asked Hermione.

The girls answered their questions and shared with them what happened. Luna added, "We are more nervous now, because we just remembered we are first years and have to be sorted. It was a little funny because what with being here over the summer, and all that study, we forgot that we start formally this year."

Hermione said, "Yes, I had forgotten that you were not actually students until you just reminded me. Well, you will be way ahead of everyone so your study will be a bit easier. Maybe we can work with you on some of the second year stuff when you don't need to study for your own year?"

"I don't know about you guys but I need to unpack and maybe get a nap in before the feast so I'm taking off before Dad catches up with me," said Harry.


	3. Snape's Facade Is Compromised

**CHAPTER 3- Snape's Facade Is Compromised**

Harry was standing in the corner of his Father's study, rubbing the sting in his 'medium rare' bum, hoping that would help dull the throbbing. His Dad had made it pretty clear to both of them how stupid it was to do what they did.

"_What were you dunderheads thinking?" asked Severus. "After doing so well using your heads and taking care of yourself in the face of Death Eaters, then you turn around and act like idiots!" _

"_Harry; Moody may not like me, and he may not always be the easiest person to work with but he is our eyes and ears on the inside of the Auror department and the ministry. You may not know it, and you may never have seen him do it, but he has risk his life for you many times Harry. We do not need to be lashing out against Moody because we are going to need his support in the future. Did he make a stupid mistake, yes, but we all have walked that walk. We can only hope that in the future his trust in Fudge will now be permanently destroyed since Fudge has embarrassed him so badly. It was on Moody's watch that those kids died and I know Moody, he is seething inside.......he will not forget it and Fudge will pay ."_

"_Draco, we have enough problems with Fudge without causing him unnecessary embarrassment. All that you accomplished was to make things harder for Professor Dumbledore. It is a fine line that we walk with the Ministry since Fudge is in the financial pocket of Lucius Malfoy. There is only so much that Professor Dumbledore can do and most of that centers around, Fudge being worried about his public image, and what people think about him. When you openly embarrass him in public like that it only hurts our cause and weakens Dumbledore's hold on him. It might have made you feel better for the moment and it might have provided us with a laugh at his expense but it did not bring back even one life and may...........in the future........risk more."_

"_Well, today, I am taking a lesson from Draco, and for this spanking you will be 'removing your pants'. Draco if you will go stand in the corner, Harry, come to me!"_

As Harry stood in the corner after his turn in the 'tanning seat' he tried hard to think about other things that would help tune out the sound of the 'hand meeting bare bottom' smacks going on behind him. Draco and Harry were both very adamant that their actions were worth the consequences, that is, until the painful, stinging burn started raising its ugly head. With Harry and now, from the sound of things, Draco, their adamant attitude had quickly changed to the normal verbal and physical dance of; "please stop, I will be good, owwww, I won't do it again" type begging. One did not remain a "hero" long when tested under the hard calloused hand of Severus.

Draco's crying took on a new urgency which meant that Dad had raised his left leg and was applying his lessons on the sensitive portions of his bum and thighs. Harry was thinking the spanking should end soon and just as he thought it the smacking stopped. He knew that now his Dad would be comforting Draco until the sobbing stopped then Severus would call them back together and forgive them.

As the boys walked back toward their dorms, both rubbing their bums, and regretting their impulsive actions, they knew that Hermione would meet them at the first junction, where they would each go their separate ways. She would have some healing salve ready for them to apply to their throbbing bums. Thank goodness for Hermione and her brain, she was always there in the pinch.

At least Dad had not added any groundings or lines or detentions to the punishment. This allowed them to still have their weekend to spend with their friends as they chose and like the Twins had pointed out, there was a lot of unfinished business.

**************

After finishing up with two of his sons Severus went looking for his third son Neville. He had not been able to spend much time with Neville lately and was determined to try and establish some kind of relationship with him. Severus knew that Neville supported his Mother being married to him, in fact from the short hugs and comments Severus knew that Neville looked forward to being just a kid again instead of 'the man of the house'. It had been a title only because Neville had no idea what it meant for an eleven and now twelve year old boy to be 'the man of the house'. He seemed to be greatly relieved to give that job to Severus but Severus was not sure that Neville knew how to just be a kid again.

He found Neville sitting out by the lake and asked, "Neville, how about we go for some ice cream in Hogsmeads?"

Neville looked at him rather questionably then said, "Sure, I could do with some ice cream" and off they went.

Severus was not really comfortable with small talk. It didn't matter if it was with adults or kids, it just didn't seem to come natural to him. Alice had been teaching him how to approach the kids in a way that they were not always intimidated. It was harder than it looked as Severus had perfected so much of his communication to be spoken with his face. He had the perfect raised eyebrow, smirk, huff and puff but no facial expression that would invite a child to unload their burdens to him.

Once they had their ice cream and were seated Severus just began the conversation in the only way he could, with the truth.

"Neville, I know that we have never really been able to have many healthy and tension free talks and I have to admit to you I am not good at it. I know I have picked on you so much in the past that you might not be any more comfortable talking to me than I am to you. I will try and do better if you give me a chance?"

Neville looked up at him and asked, "Does that mean that I can ask anything and you won't think that I am stupid or a dunderhead?"

"Yes" replied Severus, "I will certainly try! And please, feel free to let me know if I make you feel uncomfortable, Ok?"

"Ok" replied Neville. Then he asked, "Will we ever be able to live like a family?"

Severus looked at the big brown eyes looking up at him and replied, "I don't know Neville. I would like to think we would but I know that with the Dark Lord rising again there are many things that we just can't do. I hope that this Christmas we will turn the Potter Manor into the Snape Manor and have an old fashion family Christmas. I don't think any of us have ever really had one, possibly Hermione or Luna, but not the rest of us. It would be a wonderful experience for us all, and your mom and I plan on trying to make it happen."

Neville's eyes lit up and he said, "That would be great! I am just getting used to having brothers and sisters, and while it's really different, I think it is a whole lot better than being an only child. I can't imagine what a Christmas would be like with the family that we have now."

"Another thing Neville," said Severus, "You seem to be doing much better with your potions are you feeling more comfortable about it?"

"Yes Sir" he replied. "With the help of Hermione and the Twins I seem to be able to understand it better. I 'm not saying you're a bad teacher it's just that with so many students I know you didn't have time to personally help me out. Anyway, I have to admit I was really scared of you," having said that, he blushed.

"I know you were Neville but I hope that can change. I love you as if you were my own and I promise to always be there for you no matter what. I know that we have gone the gambit from hugs of comfort to discipline, but through it all, my feelings for you, as my son, have never changed. Whenever you need to talk I will be there for you. I may not have all the answers but together we can find them."

"Can I call you Dad" asked Neville, looking at his shoes.

Severus reached over and cupped his chin in his hand and lifted his face until Neville was looking him in the eye, then said, "I would feel very privileged to have you call me Dad and that is the truth."

They just sat and talked about this and that for the next couple hours, getting to know each other. Neville looked at his watch then said, "Dad, don't forget, Mom wanted to do something and you promised to watch Cassy this afternoon."

Severus looked like he had just been called to the Head Masters office as a teenager and said, "Man I forgot, I guess we had best get going, neither of us want a mad mom on our hands."

Neville laughed as they got up and headed toward the castle. Severus put his arm on his Son's shoulder and they chatted some more on their way home, kicking a stone once in a while and chewing on blades of grass, it was a very comfortable walk.

Severus knew that he was going to have to take the time to do this with his daughters also, in the near future, and that scared him even more. He was very glad that Alice had been there for the girls, it had really made the difference. She seemed to be able to see through some of their 'drama' and pull the truth from it whereas he usually fell for it hook, line and sinker. Both Alice and Molly had shared with him that disciplining the girls is no different that with the boys but for some reason he always felt like he was walking on egg shells when it came time to correct them and he had managed to avoid it up to this point. But there was going to come a time when he would have to be 'Father' to them and Alice could not save his bacon. If he could get to know them better then perhaps being a parent to them would not be so frightening.

*********

That night was the welcoming feast and all its specialty foods. Hogwarts meals were always good but on the special celebration nights, they really 'set a table' with many favorites of the students. The mood was rather subdued, especially at the Ravenclaw table as they had lost two of their own in the skirmish.

Many notes were sent via the owls to the Companions, thanking them for what they did. The students knew how lucky they were and how much worse it could have been. More and more of them were coming to realize that trouble was brewing on the Voldemort front. They were not quite sure what it meant but they knew it was not good. The owls was very busy at the moment as many of them were carrying letters to students homes as they shared their feelings with their parents.

The one funny moment of the night was when a picture appeared in front of each student when they sat down to eat. The picture did not appear at the head table only the student tables. Normally a picture would not attract that much attention but pretty soon the smirks and giggles could not be contained as the students looked at the picture then took a chance to glance at the 'greasy git of a potion master'.

Severus didn't notice at first then after a few minutes he had this feeling that everyone was staring at him. When he would look up all the kids who were glancing at him would quickly look back at their food. When he took a closer look he noticed that they were all looking at an eight by ten glossy. He quickly cast 'accio picture' and one of them came flying to him. When he looked at the picture his face turned ten shades of red and he started to blow smoke. He then glared at each of the Companions and then at the teachers, wondering who had done this too him.

Minerva could stand it no longer, she reached over and grabbed the picture. Once she looked at it she started laughing, then, covered her mouth quickly after seeing the look on Severus' face. When Albus looked over her shoulder he saw a picture, taken early in the summer, of Severus with a very young girl, Cassy, wrapping her arms around his neck, and laying a kiss on his cheek. It was a moving picture so it also showed the shocked look on Severus' face which was priceless.

Severus just kept his head down and continued to eat his dinner. In his mind were rumbling a hundred and one ways to dismember students when he found the one who had done this.

Cassy thought it was a wonderful picture and had to add to his embarrassment by running around and telling everyone "That's my daddy, isn't he neat?"

Severus was sure at that moment that these kids were going to be the death of him and how much easier it had been dealing with Voldemort. The Cruciatus curse was not as painful as this embarrassing moment. His "mean git" persona was being destroyed right in front of his eyes, and he was sure it would kill him.

Harry and Draco were very glad that they had already had the 'talk' with their Dad because they were sure that if they had put it off till now they would have been 'drawn and quartered'.

Albus decided to break the tension by making his announcements. "This year we will have a couple new teachers added to our staff. Teaching Dueling, Self Defense and Physical Training will be Professor Alice Snape. Teaching Defense Against The Dark Arts will be Professor Remus Lupin. Professor Lupin will also be in charge of our new counseling center.

They had decided to let the kids share with the other students the facts surrounding their new family situations and new names instead of just making a public announcement. That way they could handle it comfortably and slowly. Severus would handle the announcement concerning Draco when he met with his Snakes later that night in their orientation meeting. That was a situation that they would have to keep an eye on as it could prove to be dangerous for Draco.

Arthur and Molly Weasley had moved back to the Burrow now that all their kids were safe in school. They could work and finish up their home repairs without worrying about where the kids were and if they were safe.

Albus also announced that a new class had been added to the curriculum, Physical Fitness Training. It would be required of all students and the only decision they would have to make was when to attend. Alice would do the initial evaluation of their fitness and then assign them a routine to help them improve.

They were given three choices; Early in the morning before breakfast, the hour before lunch or in the afternoon before dinner following their last class. The Companions all chose to stay with the early routine since they were already used to it and they liked getting it over with for the day. They were not as negative about it since their experiences in the forest. When they had discussed it one of the things that stood out was how easy it was for them to jog for a whole hour without getting tired.

Cassy thought it was wonderful to have so many students in the school. She had healed from her time with the Dursley's over the summer and now when she was around people it was like she never met a stranger. While it was wonderful that she didn't seem to have lasting effects from her stay, it gave her parents pause that she was so careless with her socialization.

She would just walk up to anyone, friend or Snake, and just start yapping. While this won her many more friends it also irritated those who had cause to hate her family already. Severus and the rest of the adults had talked with her but it looked like they would really have to keep an eye on her. Dobby was assigned only one duty this year and that was to watch Cassy and alert Severus or Alice at any sign of trouble. Harry had talked with Dobby, letting him know how important the task was, so if it was what Harry wanted then it was what Dobby wanted. He was not always visible, but he would always be near.

At the moment Cassy was sitting on Hagrids lap having a very, very serious conversation concerning Dragons and how great it would be to have one as a pet. The conversation caused Albus great concern but since it was just that, a conversation about a future potential pet, there was not much he could do about it. The conversation was so involved, dealing with food for a baby dragon and the nurturing necessary, that Albus knew some research had been conducted so he would tell the staff to keep an eye on these two.

The greatest surprise was standing in the back of the great hall. During the past summer it had come to everyone's attention the change that occurred with Filch. When he was given the supervisor job he all of a sudden started taking baths, combing his hair, dressing better and actually becoming more courteous. Albus felt this was a positive that he wanted to build on so he hired two assistants for Filch. With help to supervise, Filch continued to dress better and conduct himself in a more professional manner. It was noted that Mrs. Norris was even taking a bath on a regular basis and Filch was actually combing her out.

The strangest occurance was that Filch and Cassy were becoming very good friends. She would grab his hand and walk with him about the castle, checking in all the corners for things to fix and clean. It was not fully understood why they would be drawn together but after a while Severus and Alice could see nothing wrong with the joining and allowed them to continue their friendship as it seemed to be important to them. Cassy began to call Filch, Uncle Argus, and Argus started teaching her all about the castle.

The only worry that Severus and Alice had was the knowledge about the castle that Cassy would have by the time she started school. That could not be good especially for her teachers. But that was a few years away and hopefully by that time she would turn into a 'rule abiding', 'sedate', 'non inquisitive' and 'well behaved' eleven year old. WELLLLLLL.....................one could always dream they thought.


	4. The Curse Of The Cane

**CHAPTER 4-The Curse Of The Cane**

They did not sort Luna or Ginny, as Minerva wanted to test them both to check out their progress. They had studied so hard during the summer that Minerva was not sure what grade level they might be in, or if it would have an impact on the hats decision.

After spending the weekend taking tests, the girls both qualified for second year. Minerva then took them to the Dumbldore's office to have them sorted. She had not informed the girls yet on their advanced standing as she still needed to talk to their parents. By the time they reached Albus' office Molly, Arthur, Alice and Severus were there sipping afternoon tea.

Albus pulled the hat down off the shelf, placed it on Luna's head, and they all waited. The hat wiggled a bit, then hummmmed.............hawwwwwwddddd, wiggled again then stated clearly; Ravenclaw. If it had been earlier in the summer everyone would have been surprised. Now, they all knew how smart Luna really was and that she had, in the past, been hiding her potential for the sake of her father and his mental state. Perhaps now she would be able to live up to her full potential with the help of a loving and supportive family.

Molly and Arthur were not anxious in the least. They knew that all their children were sorted Gryffindore and didn't see any reason that Ginny would be any different. Albus placed the hat on Ginny's head and the hat went through the same gyrations as with Luna. It was almost like the hat knew immediately which house to sort them into but wanted to spend a bit more time in the limelight. Eventually; to everyone's surprise Ginny was sorted into Ravenclaw.

Ginny's parents looked very shocked and perplexed. Ginny had never shown the desire to study nor had she really excelled in anything other than 'playtime'. How in the world would the hat sort her into Ravenclaw they wondered.

Albus saw the question on their faces and explained to them; "This is why we sorted them after testing them. I also have to share with you that because of the hard study they applied this past summer, both girls have qualified to skip first year and go directly into second year. So in answer to your question, Ginny has changed and is now allowing her full potential to be expressed. It would seem that both are very intelligent young ladies who we can look forward to expecting great things from.

The expressions on Molly and Arthur's faces changed from being perplexed to being very proud of their daughter. All the parents rose and started hugging the girls, congratulating them on their advancement.

The girls were kinda glad that they were both in Ravenclaw. Luna had been wondering if she would be alone in some house this year. She always felt she would not be sorted Griffindore as most of the Companions were, and she was sure that Ginny would since her whole family was Gryffindore.

Ginny was glad to be in Ravenclaw. She loved and enjoyed her family but there was a part of her that wanted to branch off and be apart from it. She was always the youngest and always the only girl along with all that came with those titles in a family where she had six brothers. Being sorted into a different house she would be able to be Ginny Weasley and not just another Gryffindore Weasley. She also had a real desire to gain knowledge, to learn. Her desires that were NOT supported by her siblings as they were more into play and prank type lifestyle, studying only enough to get by.

Ginny often wondered how in the world Hermione ended up in Gryffindore and decided that fate chose to give Harry a good friend with a good mind. Harry had a lot of friends that liked to play but not many that were smart and wanted to study. Hermione was a good influence on him.

Ginny and Luna had been staying with the Snapes until they could be tested and sorted so Alice and Severus walked the girls back to their residence to help them pack and get established with the Ravenclaws.

They invited Professor Flitwick to tea and let him know that he had two new students. He told them not to worry he would take them over to their new house and get them settled. He was very excited about having both girls as he, among very few others, had realized their potential early on. Alice and Severus were a bit ashamed that they had not noticed or taken more time to get to know Luna better. Professor Flickwick told them not to worry, their lives had been so full this past summer that they were lucky they had accomplished as much as they did. They had a long time to go, and plenty of time to catch up, with each and every child.

**********

With all the festivities for the new school year over with, it didn't take long for trouble to start. Lucius had definitely put the word out on Draco and the other blood traitors.

Crabe, Goyle, Avery and McNair, led by Theodore Nott, all sons of active Death Eaters, were under orders from their fathers to plan and execute painful harassment of Draco and company. They were not to kill him, as his Father Lucius wanted that privilege as accorded to him by old, pureblood family law. Draco had shamed his father publicly therefore Lucius had the right to disown him or put him to death.

The 'dark snake-letts' knew they couldn't take on all of them at the same time so they were planning on how to grab a couple at a time and make examples out of them. The kids were all back in classes and none of them were really taking any precautions. The feeling at the school seemed safe and relaxed and the kids acted accordingly.

They went after Draco first. He was the only one left in the common room of the Slytherin house when they stunned him then carried him out to an unused classroom they had prepared for this special time. The room had all the protections they would need to include silence and locks.

They blind folded then'glued' Draco to the wall. They then raised his shirt and lowered his pants. They took an old school cane that their fathers told them to use and began to whip him with it. They were not proficient with the cane so they were causing a lot of damage, breaking the skin and causing welts that would become permanent if not healed in a timely manner. That is what they wanted though; first to cause him pain and enjoy listening to him scream and secondly to cause enough damage to his backside that he would still have the scars even when he was finally taken and killed by his father. They would not keep him once they finished whipping him, but leave him hanging on the great hall doors for the students to find in the morning. Hopefully he would not be alone.

They had decided to take turns and keep caning him until he lost consciousness as they didn't want him to hear their voices. Nott finally stuffed cloth in Draco's ears so they could hex him as he would not pass out. They didn't want him to loose too much blood and he was already dripping a lot of blood from his bum and legs. They had limited it to his bum and legs because they wanted to watch him try to sit down for the next few days plus they wanted him to remember this embarrassment. They knew that he would consider being beaten on his back to be, manly, while on his bum would be, childish.

Once they finished with him, they left him hanging on the wall and went hunting again. This time they caught a blood traitor coming back from the library. They stunned her and brought her to the same room as Draco. They blindfolded and hung her up along side him, then they revived her and bared her bum as they had done to Draco. They then proceeded to listen to Ginny scream as they whipped her bum and legs just as they had Draco. The only difference was that Ginny eventually passed out from the pain before she was bleeding too badly.

They were tired and it was nearing dawn. They knew that the teachers that walked the school usually quit right about now so they could get a shower and prepare for breakfast. This left about an hour of no security and enough time for them to 'levitate' Draco and Ginny to the Great Hall doors. They hung the two of them, one on each door. Then they hung the cane with a sign that read;

'_Two blood traitors,_

_feel free to add your MARK _

_to the marks they have already earned. _

_BEWARE traitors_

_or you will receive the same or worse.'_

As soon as the first student arrived at the Great Hall the word went out and within moments the entry and stairs were filled with students looking with horror at the two students hanging on the doors. Both Draco and Ginny were just reviving and were coming to grips with where they were and what had happened to them.

When they realized the picture they were providing for the students they were embarrassed, but the pain they were feeling pretty much over-road the embarrassment, the pain was terrible.

Severus, Dumbledore and Poppy arrived right before the other teachers. They stood in shock for a moment then rushed to the crying kids to help them down. The other students had tried to un-stick them but could not find the right spell to do it. Dumbledore went through three spells until he realized that it was a dark spell then he was able to release them.

Severus covered them and levitated them to the infirmary where Poppy would take care of them. Alice stayed with Draco and Ginny, waiting for Molly and Arthur to arrive. Poppy, understanding how embarrassing and painful it must be for them, put them into a dreamless sleep then started healing the wounds.

Severus, Albus and a number of teachers gathered everyone into the great hall then told everyone to place their wands on the table in front of them. The students complied and the teachers began to check each wand for the last few spells that the wand bearer had cast. Once they were finished they found out that the wands belonging to the students had not been used against Draco and Ginny which meant that whoever did it had a second wand in their possession. This would not be uncommon for Slytherins so Severus told the Slytherin house to remain in the great hall until he released them. He then proceeded to go to the dungeon to search the Slytherin house.

About two hours later he had not found the wands which meant they were probably hidden in one of the common areas. He would make it a habit to 'accio wand' anytime he walked into a common room when there were no other students present.

Severus wanted to 'pick a few brains' but Albus told him not to as most of the Slytherin were trained in occlumency and would tell their parents if anyone used any 'memory reading' spells on them. "We need to save that as a last resort when we feel like we have the culprits in hand" said Albus, "Then it won't matter if the parents find out."

A bit later Poppy shared with Severus, Alice and the Weasleys that all of the scars would heal on Ginny and most of them on Draco. Draco had received harsher treatment and she couldn't remove some of the deeper scars. The bad news was that she could not get rid of the pain they would feel for ten days. The culprits had used a very old school cane. In the old days when caning was used on students the cane was also hexed so that the student could not use any salve to eliminate pain after the caning. It didn't matter that the scars had been removed as the pain was embedded in the nerves almost like a memory and it would last for ten days. She would talk to Albus to see if he knew of a spell to counter the hex.

She would keep the kids asleep as long as she could but she couldn't use the sleeping potion for very long. The pain was not severe enough to qualify the recipient to the 'coma' spell, and that spell was dangerous anyway.

The parents were horrified; first that the school would have such punishment implements and secondly that their kids were going to have to suffer from this whipping for ten days. They started planning on how to keep the kids in the prone position and how to keep their minds off their pain. Poppy would help them through the highest phase of pain but she had told them the healing process would be slow because there were so many stripes.

The kids would not be able to attend class for at least eight days, preferably all ten. They could probably stand the final two but whoever did this to them would just try and cause them embarrassment.

When Poppy was finished she paid Albus a visit. He had forgotten all about those canes although he did remember being caned by one and it was not pleasant. He too was horrified that the kids would have to experience all ten days of the punishment. He told Poppy that everyone, including the Potion Master, had tried to find a counter hexto those canes but no one ever did.

After finding out that he didn't know of any way to help the kids out she told him, "I want all those old canes removed and destroyed and I want it done before anyone else gets any ideas."

I agree said Albus and he called ten House Elf Honcho to his office. "Honcho, I need you to find all, and I mean all, of the old school punishment canes. I want you to find them and destroy them. This is a priority so put ten or twenty Elves on it so we can get them out of the castle quickly. Do you have any questions?"

"No Sir, Master Dumbledore. We will be right on it and I will let you know when we are finished." With that he popped out of the room.

When everything settled down the parents were in Albus's office and he was explaining to them the steps they had taken. "The idea that these kids will have to endure ten days of pain from these canes is horrible" said Albus.

"How could a school even allow such a thing?" asked Alice.

"Well, to put it in perspective, you should know that in the old days the number of strikes applied to any student with the cane was limited to six or less, by the Board of Governors. I received them one time and I must stay that was not a pleasant experience. I could sit down but it was very painful. Every day the pain level goes down, then after ten days the pain was gone. Your children had ten times the number of stripes than allowed so I am not sure just how great their pain will be. Also, the teachers allowed to use the cane in the old days had to know what they were doing. My skin was never broken nor do I remember any of my friends who were caned experiencing broken skin. The kids who whipped your children had no idea how to use a cane and therefore caused a lot of damage. Poppy will try and keep them asleep through the worst phase of pain but after that she will have to wait a couple days before she can step in again."

Alice and Molly were crying whereas Severus and Arthur just wanted to get their hands on the sadists who did this horrible thing to their kids.

Severus looked at Albus and asked, "What about the mind bond that Harry and I experienced, do you think I could do the same with Draco?"

"I don't know Severus you can try. Now that you mention it these kids have been starting to study Occlumency and I know you are a Master. You might be able to help them bury this particular group of pain receivers in a protected place. I am not even sure this would help as I am just grasping at straws. Having been there I can't imagine what the pain will be like with that many stripes of the cane. I am real worried about them retaining their sanity. If it gets really bad then we have permission from the ministry to use the coma spell, but only if nothing else will work."

******

The Companions, minus Ginny and Draco, were meeting in one of the vacant classrooms. The Twins were filling them in on their recent acquired information. "Those ears have really come in handy. We heard about the type of whipping that Ginny and Draco received. It seems it was given with one of the old school canes and those canes were hexed. You were not supposed to receive more than six stripes of the cane but they would hurt really bad for ten days before wearing off. The problem they are worried about is that the kids received lots more than six stripes of the cane and they are not sure they can handle the pain. There isn't anything we can do to help on that end of things but hope that our folks can find an answer to help them out."

"The other problem we might be able to help with. The wands that were used to curse the kids are missing. With all the searches they did they still could not find them. They have to be somewhere and if we can find them the odds are we can prove who used them."

Harry looked up and said, "Then I think that ought to be our priority right now and we can put everything else on hold. Let's find those wands. And if you do find the wand, DO NOT TOUCH THEM. I am not sure how they will tell who used it last but I am sure they can and we don't need to be messing with the evidence. So just find them, put someone on guard, then find Dad or Mom."

Two days later, when Draco and Ginny woke up, Harry collapsed, screaming in pain and grabbing his bum. They took him to the infirmary and Poppy called in Severus and Albus. "I heard you mention something about a mind bond Severus. Do you think he might have one with Draco or Ginny?"

Severus looked perplexed but Albus spoke up, "Yes, remember their Animagus? Draco is a Dragon and Harry is a Dragon Rider, they are connected by a bond and that bond will feed communications along with any very strong emotions. Right now Harry is receiving 'pain waves' from Draco. We need to put Harry asleep also Poppy."

Poppy shook her head but walked over to the bed and gave Harry the sleeping potion. Harry then calmed down and slept.


	5. Sirius Returns

**CHAPTER 5-Sirius Returns**

*****Note: Dreamweaver...LOL, you are really working overtime on this, thanks for all the suggestions!

********

Poppy was able to keep Draco and Ginny asleep for the next two days but then she had to take them off the sleep potion. When they woke, the first thing that hit them was the waves of pain rolling off their bum and legs. It was like they were still receiving the whipping but they knew they were in the infirmary. They had tears rolling down their faces and it was so hard to make sense out of it all.

Soon they brought Harry into the infirmary and placed him on a bed next to them. He also had tears rolling down his cheeks and couldn't figure out why he was in so much pain.

Severus explained to them what was happening and why they were hurting so bad. He explained that if they were perfectly still the pain would be less than if they moved. He also told them that he was going to be entering their minds, to try and help them, put the incoming pain sensations into a hidden compartment so that it would not hurt as much.

He started with Harry and taught him how to sever the link he had with Draco for a limited period of time. Harry was able to get a handle on the link well enough to recover and leave the infirmary the next morning. He would not forget what his brother was going through.

After Harry, Severus worked with Draco and using legillimens tried to teach him how to use occlumency. It took about an hour but together they were able to place the incoming sensory of pain into a box which they buried deep in his mind. Draco still felt some of the pain, but it was closer, to what was actually intended by the creators of the cane spell and was tolerable, if he didn't move.

While Harry combed his fingers through Draco's hair trying to keep him calm, Severus worked with Ginny and she also was able to learn how to push it into her subconscious. If they did what Severus taught them and stayed still, the pain was much lower and they felt they could get through another couple days.

The problem was that they would fall asleep, move, then the pain would come back and wake them up, causing them to start the process all over again. Poppy told them to just hang in there for two days then she could give them more of the dreamless sleep potion.

Draco felt like his real father was beating him all the time and sometimes his thoughts would get confused. When he started pleading to his father to stop Severus would rub his back and talk to him trying to calm him down enough to use his occlumency again.

Ginny had no reference as her parents had never caused her so much pain, so it was easier to calm her down quicker and she was able to hide in her mind deep enough to ignore most of the pain.

With the help of Severus and Albus the kids were able to work to the end of the fourth day so that Poppy could give them more sleeping potion. She figured that would take them to the end of day six and perhaps the pain would be bearable then, at least she hoped it would be.

*******

The baby snakes were really worried. They had no idea that everyone would react so badly to their act of rebellion, they really thought they would have more support. They were so scared that they didn't go near the place where they had hidden their spare wands. They just acted like nothing was wrong and continued to attend classes and work on homework.

Severus had a good idea who was behind the caper and took it upon himself to use the disillusionment charm and follow Nott and Avery around, hoping that they would lead him to their spare wands.

Harry and the team were also following some of the Slytherins around whenever they could. Each of them now had borrowed an invisibility cloak from Dumbledore's store house and took turns watching the entrance to the Slytherin common room.

The kids also had a new rule; nobody was to go anywhere, not even the restroom, by themselves. If you were stuck by yourself then you sent a patronus and stayed put until someone came to walk with you. The teachers learned about the rule and they also made a point of not allowing students to go anywhere alone and would stay in their classroom with the student until a friend arrived.

With the baby snakes being; scared, without their spare wands and not having any opportunity to catch any students walking by themselves, no further attacks took place over the next few weeks. Draco and Ginny managed to make it through their ten days of punishment and were released.

There was a new bond between them that neither could explain. Being in constant pain, and being together that long, caused them to share with each other things they would not share with anyone. It also gave them a sense of friendship that neither had ever experienced. It was a friendship based on adversity, one of the strongest bindings for friendship that existed. They had walked through fire, together, and it was something that neither of them would ever forget. They didn't always have to be talking to each other to know that the other was there for them and supporting them. It came in a touch or a look that said, 'I know how you feel, or I know what you feel'.

Severus and Alice pulled Draco out of Slytherin because they felt that he was in just too much danger there. He would stay in the residence until they could meet with Albus and figure out where to put him for the rest of the year. They might put him in another house or just keep him in the residence until they caught the culprits, they hadn't decided yet.

Draco was happy to be out of the Slytherin rooms. He thought he was brave enough but he wasn't that brave. He had always felt like he was walking on eggshells and that danger was around every corner. There had been nasty notes on his pillow at night and someone was forever stealing his homework. It was just good to be able to walk around and not be afraid again.

Chief Elf Honcho reported to Dumbledore that all the school canes had been rounded up, accounted for and then burned. Albus was relieved that this would not happen again in his school but he wondered if there might not be the same trap waiting to be sprung in some of the other schools. He wrote an alert notice and sent it out to all the Head Masters, alerting them to the potential for trouble. He was sure that the students would not have known about how the canes were hexed but the fathers did. This meant that the fathers had instructed their kids on exactly what to do to reap the most painful rewards. The only problem with it is, that it worked, and would work again, if the schools did not take action.

********

Cassy was trying to find her Uncle Argus but he was no where to be found. She thought that perhaps he was outside so she went to a side door that not many knew about, but that he usually used when he went onto the grounds. Both her parents were teaching and Dobby would not let her go anywhere so she asked Dobby for a sandwich and when he popped out to get it she took off to find her friend.

She opened the side door when she arrived and looked, but could not see any sign of him. She knew that she was not supposed to go outside without an adult but she was getting really bored and she wouldn't be out there all that long.

Cassy and Uncle Argus became friends one day when she found Mrs. Norris, hurt and curled up in a cubby hole, trying to hide from the mean ole' kids who were trying to hex her. Cassy ran to get Mr. Filch and showed him where she was then Cassy climbed into the cubby hole and gently picked up Mrs. Norris and brought her out to him. Together they took Mrs. Norris to Hagrid who fixed her right up. Mr. Filch was very upset and while Hagrid was fixing Mrs. Norris, Cassy wrapped her tiny arms around his shoulders and cried with him while consoling him. From that day forward they had been fast friends and anytime Cassy saw one of the kids picking on Mrs. Norris she would run and get Uncle Argus or one of the teachers. She knew what it was like to get picked on and she would not allow it to happen to her new friends.

Cassy took another look outside, then took a deep breath and walked through the doorway. She started making her way around the castle remembering that Uncle Argus said that he did not take care of the grounds only the castle.

She was just crossing over the path that led from the castle to the greenhouses when she heard an ugly laugh. "Well, if it isn't the Potion Git's kid," Erica Cook said to her friend. "I think my dad wants to meet with you little girl."

Erica's friend looked at her and then at Cassy then said, "I don't think you want to do this Erica, it's not healthy to mess with Professor Snape or his kids, he'll have you for lunch."

About that time Erica shot a small stinging hex at Cassy and with that her friend took off for the hills. Erica just shot another stinging hex at Cassy and she started crying, "Please don't do that, it hurts!"

"Of course it hurts" said Erica, "That is what a stinging hex is supposed to do!" Then she shot another one at her and at the same time she told her, "Start walking toward the forest, now, or I'll hex you again."

Cassy started walking toward the forest like she was told but Erica still continued to hex her, over and over again. About fifty feet from the forest line, Cassy saw a great big wolf dog coming toward her. Erica was behind her and the dog in front of her and she didn't know what to do. She was so afraid she just sat on the ground and cried. The dog passed her by and continued toward Erica. Erica became fearful and started hexing the dog instead of Cassy, she didn't know any other spells. When the dog was about three feet from her it turned into a wizard, yanked her wand out of her hand and grabbed her by the scuff of the neck.

He drug the kid over to where Cassy was crying, shoved her on the ground and told her not to move a muscle, not to even twitch, or she would be a very sorry little girl. Erica's eyes were as big as saucers and her body was ridged with fear. She could not have moved even if she wanted to.

The man walked over to Cassy to talk with her, and try to calm her. "Look at me little one, I'm not going to hurt you."

Cassy looked up at him and his kind eyes tended to calm her. "What is your name child?" the man asked.

"My name is Cassy, who are you?"

"My name is Sirius, Sirius Black. Now can you tell me why this girl was trying to hurt you?"

"I don't know Mr. Black. I was looking for Uncle Argus and she just started stinging me and telling me to walk into the forest. I'm not 'loud to go into the forest" said Cassy, her lip stuck out and her eyes dripping tears.

"Where are your parents Cassy?" asked Sirius.

"They are both teaching right now and I am supposed to be with......wellllll.....with Dobby the House Elf. But I ..............well......I sort of got away from him so I could look for Uncle Argus."

"You're not supposed to be outside the castle are you Cassy?" asked Sirius.

"Aww Welllll, no Sir, but I wasn't going to go far, just far enough to find Uncle Argus."

"Ok, Well, let's take this brat and go find the Head Master then we can find your parents, Ok" asked Sirius.

"Ok, but I'm going to be in soooooooo much trouble" she said shaking her head, "sooo much trouble."

Sirius just smiled and said, "Well, little one, I have been there so I sympathize with you." With that he lifted Cassy onto his hip then reached over, grabbed Erica by the scuff of the neck, jerked her up, and pushed her toward the castle.

When they reached the Head Masters office, Sirius had no idea what the password might be. Cassy wiggled to be put down then just ran up to the gargoyle, slapped it and said, "Gampa open up, we need you".

With that the doors opened and the stairs began to turn. They rode up the staircase and Cassy ran into Albus' office, wrapped her arms around Albus and just hung on tightly. Sirius pushed Erica through the door then entered and looked at Albus for the first time in eleven years.

Albus looked at the man, reached down and lifted Cassy onto his desk then walked around his desk and with tears in his eyes he drew Sirius to himself and hugged him for a long time. "I am so sorry Sirius, so sorry that any of this happened. When did they finally let you out?"

"Oh about a week ago," said Sirius, "I have been getting my finances and house in order and felt it was about time to catch up with what might be going on and talk with you about that job offer. I talked with Remus so I know all about Harry and Sev and I am really happy for them both. I really know what it is like to be alone and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Severus and I will have to talk, I'm sure, but there is time for that."

"Meanwhile" said Sirius, "As I was approaching the castle I came upon this brat shooting stinging hexes at Cassy and trying to get her to walk into the forest. So I just brought them both up here so you could sort it all out."

Albus looked over his glasses at Erica and said, "Let's get the parents here and Remus then we can sort everything out. Sit down young lady and I don't want to hear a peep out of you."

Erica quickly sat down and then Albus turned to Sirius and asked, "Can I get you some tea, a sandwich perhaps?"

"Yes, a cup of your special tea would be wonderful!"

Soon Remus entered the office and after Albus filled him in, he walked over and gave Sirius a big hug. "Did you finally get all your business taken care of?" he asked.

"Yeh, I'm just making the rounds now trying to connect up with everyone and find some work. They asked me if I wanted to rejoin the Aurors but I just couldn't see myself doing that anymore not after what they put me through."

"I can sure understand that" said Remus.

About that time Severus and Alice walked in the door. Severus immediately became ridged, his eyebrow shot up and his lip curled. "Well, I see they finally let the Mutt out" he said.

"Severus," said Sirius, "Let's not even go there! I have spent eleven years suffering through more pain and humiliation than you could have ever dreamed of inflicting on me for my pass transgressions. Why don't we just walk passed it all and start over again as adults and professionals?"

Severus looked into Sirius' eyes and what he saw shocked him. The bully of a boy that used to exist was no longer there and in his place was an older adult man who had seen more than his share of pain and agony. Sirius was right, there was nothing that Severus could have wished on the man that had not already happened ten fold. It was time to bury the hatchet and start over again.

Severus then did something that shocked everyone. He thought, 'what would I tell my sons to do?' then, after a slight hesitation, he offered his hand and said, "I agree, let's start over again."

Sirius took his hand and shook it with a smile on his face. "That's not to say I won't kid you a bit Severus. In my wildest dreams I never saw you with eight kids and happy about it but Remus says you are quite a wonderful father."

"Well, I don't know about the wonderful father" said Severus, "But we are all trying very hard to learn about this family thing. Sometimes we get it wrong but more often we get it right."

About then tea arrived and they all made themselves at home. As they were sipping their tea a stocky, gruff man was led into the office by Minerva. He walked over to his daughter and cuffed her on the side of the head asking, "What the hell have you done now you miserable no-good imbecile?"

Albus conjured a chair right behind the man, knocking him off his feet and into the chair. "We will have none of that in MY office Mr. Cook. We are here to discuss your child's behavior and to come to a decision about her punishment."

Albus continued, "Severus and Alice, Sirius found Cassy on the grounds with Erica. She was casting stinging hexes at her and forcing her to walk into the forest. First, I want to ask Erica, why were you trying to hurt this child who is only six years old?"

Erica was looking at her shoe laces and blushing a bright red. "I wasn't really trying to hurt her. I was trying to follow his directions" she said, looking at her father. "Every time I turn around he tells me how useless I am and that I should take the mark and do something useful for the Dark Lord. He told me if I really wanted to make people like me, if I wanted him to ever love me, then I needed to grab one of Professor Snape's kids and bring them to him so he could give them to the Dark Lord. Then we would get a lot of money and be looked up to. He said if I didn't follow his orders then he was going to give me to the Dark Lord to be used as a sex toy, then killed by pulling off my arms and legs. I didn't know what else to do. My mom used to stand up for me but she died this year so there is nobody but him and his hate."

With that she looked back down at her shoes leaving her father glaring at her. "The brat is a liar with a very wild imagination, In fact when I received your summons I decided that I will disown her and drop her off at the nearest orphanage. She is not my daughter anyway, her mother had an affair with some guy named Regulus Black and she got pregnant with this spawn."

Sirius just about choked on his tea when Mr. Cook made that statement. "What do you mean she had an affair with Regulus Black? Regulus Black was killed way before this child was born."

"No he wasn't" said Cook. "He was hiding out for a number of years before the Dark Lord finally found him and tortured him to death, she told me all about it."

Sirius looked at Albus and said, "Could you run the test Albus?"

"Yes Sirius, right away." With that Albus waved his wand and mumbled a charm. A yellow strand of light shot out of his wand and circled Sirius then moved around the room touching each person. It finally stopped at Erica and encircled her then the light disappeared.

"It's confirmed Sirius" said Albus.

"Is that job still open that you owled me about Albus?" asked Sirius.

"Yes," smiled Albus, "It's still open, can I now consider it filled?"

"Yes," replied Sirius. "Along with being your head of security and helping Remus with teaching DADA, does it come with living quarters here at the school?"

"Yes," said Albus and I will make sure there are two bedrooms for when you might need them."

"OK, Mr. Cook," said Sirius, as he waved his wand producing a parchment on Albus' desk. "You want to get rid of your daughter then you need to sign this form and I, Sirius Black, her Uncle, will take over guardianship. Then you can just walk away."

"Gladly" said Mr. Cook as he reached over and signed the form. "Good luck with the brat, you'll need it!"

"Before you go Mr. Cook, I need to see something" said Albus and having said that he waved his wand causing Mr. Cooks sleeves to roll up, revealing the dark mark. Albus then restrained the man and told Severus to call the Aurors as they might be interested in talking to him.

Albus levitated Mr. Cook to the fireplace then Floo'd him to the Auror's office, telling Moody to check the guys arm then come talk with him when Moody had time. Moody thanked him and shut the floo.

Sirius then looked at Erica and said. "What is your name child?"

"Erica, sir" he replied.

"Well Erica, your new name will be Erica Black after your real father. Regulus was my brother and when Mr. Cook signed this form he signed your guardianship over to me. I know you don't know me from adams-house-cat but we will be taking the time over the next few days get to know each other."


	6. Cassy Has A Bad Day

**CHAPTER 6-Cassy Has A Bad Day**

"Before we leave this office Erica, there is some business we need to take care of" said Sirius. "First, you will apologize to this child you were hexing, and you will make it sound very, very sincere!"

Erica just sat there and looked at him like he was crazy.

"Erica, it doesn't matter who I am, and it doesn't matter what your father did. At this moment none of that matters, what does matter is that you know that what you did was wrong and now you will make it right or I will warm your bottom for you right here in front of everyone, do we understand each other?"

Erica blushed a deep red and turned to Cassy, "I am very sorry for what I did. It was wrong and I will never do it again."

"Good," said Sirius, "Now I want you to apologize to her parents, Professors Severus Snape and Alice Snape, but I don't want you to just repeat the same words you used with Cassy. I want a parchment of apology, about two feet in length should do it, to be hand delivered to them no later than Friday, is that understood?"

"Yes Sir," replied Erica.

"You will also be assigned to both Professor Snapes for twenty Detentions. They will notify you of the dates that they are comfortable with. Do you understand what I have just told you?"

"Yes Sir," replied Erica.

"I want you to get to know Professor Snape because he is the head of your house and should you ever be put into the situation you found yourself in today, having to make decisions whether to hurt people or not, you need to go directly to him and ask for help."

"Yes, Sir" replied Erica.

"Also Erica, you know Professor Lupin. Professor Lupin also runs the counseling center here at the school. You will contact him within the next two days and make an appointment with him. You will follow his directions and if he decides you need further appointments you will comply. He is a wonderful and gentle man who can help you to better understand yourself if you will let him."

"Yes Sir" replied Erica.

"Professors Snape" said Sirius, "I want you to know that I don't take what she did to your daughter lightly. I know that given the situation you have the right to have her kicked out of the school. I am asking you for mercy this one time to see if we can't work with her and give her another chance? Along with the detentions, counseling and apology she will received a very sound spanking. Then she and I will have a long talk about acceptable behavior and her future in the Black family. Is this acceptable punishment for what she did to Cassy?"

Erica sat looking at Sirius with eyes as big as saucers and a lump growing in the pit of her stomach. Too much had just taken place for her to process all of it at once. Somehow she had just been saved from being kicked out of school but it sounded like the price she was going to pay would not be pleasant.

Severus looked at Erica staring at Sirius, then he looked at Sirius with a lot more respect than before. Perhaps, he hoped, they might become friends after all these years. "Yes, Sirius, the punishment you have proposed is acceptable. Ms. Black, I will owl you the dates of your detentions, and I expect you to arrive in old clothes and on time."

"Yes Sir" answered Erica.

"Good" said Sirius, "Let's go Erica, we have some hands-on-business to take care of if the Head Master would be so kind as to direct us to our new home."

Albus, once again with a twinkle in his eye, called for a House Elf and told the elf to take Sirius and his new ward to their accommodations.

***********

Severus and Alice picked up Cassy and bid Albus goodby also. "We have some hands-on business to take care of also, it would seem. We will talk with you later Dad."

"Dobby!" Severus called once they arrived back at the residence.

Dobby arrived, twisting his ears and hitting himself with a stick. "I can't find her Master, I can't find her. She ran away and I can't find her."

"Dobby, calm down, we have her and it's not your fault!" With that Dobby calmed down and looked at them. "Let's go into the living room and talk" said Alice.

Once they were seated in the living room Severus looked at Cassy and asked, "Well little one what did you do to Dobby?"

Cassy was busy looking at her shoes. The chair she was in, was so big, it didn't even allow her to dangle her feet so she could easily study her laces. She had her hand to her mouth when she started mumbling, "IsenthimforasandwichthenIranaway".

"I am sorry Cassy, you're going to have to use the English language as I can't understand 'mumble' very well" said Alice.

"I sent him for a sandwich then I ran away" said Cassy. "I wanted to find Uncle Argus but I couldn't find him. I tot' he might be outside cleaning windows so I went to check."

"What else happened little one," asked Alice.

"Welll..........that mean girl started hurting me. Then a big dog came up and took the girls wand. HE TURNED INTO A WIZARD DADDY, HE WAS A DOG AND THEN HE WAS A WIZARD, IT WAS MAZING, REALLY AWESOME!"

It was like the total topic of conversation changed and Cassy was a bright little ball of fire talking about the amazing dog who turned into a man. Severus and Alice stuffed the smiles that were trying to sprout on their faces and brought her back to the subject at hand.

"Cassy, you do know you were not supposed to be outside, you have been told enough times not to go out without an adult with you. So.....little one, why did you go out without supervision?" asked Severus.

Cassy's lip protruded, her eyes started to water up and she started the six year old squirm. "I don't know" she replied.

"Cassy, answer your Father!" said Alice.

"I was bored and I wanted to find Uncle Argus," she replied.

"Why did we tell you we didn't want you outside by yourself Cassy?" asked Severus.

"Cause I might get hurt" whispered Cassy.

"And what happened when you went out by yourself Cassy" asked Alice.

"I got hurt mommy" Cassy replied.

"Exactly" said Severus. "And it could have been a lot worse if Sirius, the big dog, hadn't found you and saved you. You were definitely a bad little girl today."

"Pease don't spank me Daddy, pease don't" Cassy cried.

"You don't think you deserve a spanking?" asked Severus.

"No.........Defly not!......she replied with big eyes trying very hard to turn Severus' heart in her direction.

"Well I disagree, little one, so climb down off your chair and come over here to me............now Cassy!"

Cassy climbed down out of her chair and started walking over to her Daddy. She knew from experience with her Mother that if she ran it only got worse and they would add other punishments on top of the spanking. She finally found herself standing next to her Daddy, trying her very best to work his heart with her eyes and tears. "Pease Daddy, no spanking, pease?"

Severus reached down and picked her up, placing her face down across his lap. He then pulled down her pants, exposing her little bare bottom. He then, using his fingers but not his palm, so it would sting but nothing worse, gave her four spanks. Cassy was already crying loudly when Severus asked her, "Cassy, why are you getting this spanking?"

"Cause I went outside," she blubbered.

"Correct" said Severus, then he gave her the rest of the spanking, giving her twelve swats, or double her age. By the end of the spanking her bottom was barely a solid pink but you would have thought she was dying. Severus, rubbed her back, calming her as he did with all his kids, and at the same time smiling at his wife. "You are such a drama queen Cassy" he said.

Tilting her head and looking at Severus she said, "Wats dama Daddy?" then quickly remembering she was supposed to be yelling and crying, she started the water works again.

Severus shook his head as he put her pants back in place then sat her up in his lap and called Dobby over to him. "Dobby, I am partially at fault here, I never marked her for you." With that Severus waved his wand setting a mark spell on Cassy and attaching it to Dobby. "Now you will always know where she is Dobby and you won't have to worry so much, OK?"

"Oh Thank You Master Snape, Thank You."

"Ok child," said Alice. "You have received your spanking but there is more to your punishment. You are never, never to hide from Dobby again, do you understand me?"

"Yes, Mama, I derstand" said Cassy.

"First I have a question" asked Severus. "When you were scared and crying why didn't you use your port-key that Mama and Daddy gave you?"

Cassy's eyes got big as saucers and she whispered..............."I fgot, Daddy, I fgot' and she started crying again. Severus just hugged her tighter and said, "That's Ok child, but try and remember next time OK?"

"You are also grounded for a whole month" said Alice.

"No..............NO..................pease Mama..............no! Spank me again but pease don't ground me................pease!" Cassy hated being grounded. She could do nothing but read her picture books in her living quarters and homework that her Mama was starting to teach her. It was soooooo boring and she hated it.

"No Cassy, You were a very bad girl and deserve to be punished. But, perhaps I might be willing to make a deal with you. Mrs. Weasley has sent her last child to school and is feeling a bit lonely. She home taught all her kids before they arrived at Hogwarts and is very good at it. If she agrees to home school you during the day would you agree to go to her house, study hard and behave?"

Cassy's eyes started almost glowing she was so excited. "Yes, Mama, I will study hard, bery hard, pease let me go to school, pease!"

"Ok but remember if you cause Mrs. Weasley any trouble she will not be very happy with you and she will have permission to punish you."

"I will behave Mama, I pomise!" said Cassy.

"OK, I have already talked with her and tomorrow you will start school. You will go up to Grandpa's office in the morning and he will teach you how to Floo over to the Weasley's. Dobby you will go with her each day and help to keep an eye on her. You might even give Mrs. Weasley a helping hand while you're there" said Alice.

Cassy was really excited, she got to go to school and learn things. All the students around her were learning things and now she would too.

Severus and Alice wanted to get her into pre-school but they also wanted to keep her safe. After talking to Molly about schools she had volunteered to home school Cassy since she didn't have any kids at home anymore and was a bit bored. She had been thinking about taking in a few kids to home-school and had talked with a few parents. Cassy would be the first student but she figured that there would be four or five before the month was over.

They had eagerly accepted as this would be the perfect answer to their problem. Cassy would go over in the morning and return in the afternoon when the classes were over with. This way she would be under someone's direct supervision at all times and now she was getting closer to seven years old she seemed to need the supervision even more. She would also be able to socialize with kids her own age, which she has not had the opportunity to do. The only problem they had was trying to get Molly to accept decent wages. They finally convinced her that they would have to pay a school and they would much rather be paying her.

********

Sirius, Erica and the House Elf entered the residence to find a number of worker elves setting up furniture and hanging wall coverings. "We should finish up pretty soon Master Sirius, then you can put on the personal decorating touches that you might desire" said the elf in charge of the work.

They took a tour of the residence and Sirius assigned Erica her bedroom. "Let's spend tonight getting settled in and putting our personal things away and then tomorrow we will sit down and have a long talk about your future. Right now it is dinner time and we need to go to the Great Hall.

********

Neville was on watch when he saw Nott sneaking out of the Slytherin common room. Nott was looking around making sure no one was following him and then walked down two corridors to the statue of Slytherin and the snake. Neville watched him look around again to make sure no one saw him then Nott went behind the statue and seemed to disappear.

Neville wasn't quite sure what to do so he followed the path Nott took over to the wall behind the statue and began to look around. He felt the wall and it seemed solid enough. He tried to walk through it like the wall at the train station but only ended up hitting the wall and falling down. He looked around for secret handles and buttons but could find nothing that might trip a secret door. Giving up he went back to the Gryffindor common room to report what he had seen and solicit help.

Most of the Companions were sitting around the fire when Neville arrived. "Hey guys, I followed Nott and discovered another secret passage way."

That definitely got the attention of the Twins. George said, "Hold that thought and let me get our map." He ran up to his dorm and returned soon back with the map in hand. They all looked at it and asked Neville to point out where the passage was located. The map didn't show anything but a solid wall.

The Weasley brothers were really upset about the treatment of Ginny and wanted, in the worst way, to catch the guilty parties. The rest of the kids and many of the teachers were watching them closely to make sure that if the culprits were found that they would survive the capture. Messing with a Weasley was dangerous business, messing with the youngest and the only girl child of the Weasley family was way passed dangerous, it was explosive. This was one of the reasons that very few people ever gave Ginny a bad time. It wasn't just Ginny you were dealing with but six big brothers.

"Well, I guess the original Marauders didn't find this passage so they couldn't spell it on the map" said Fred. "We need to go down there tonight and check it out. Hermione should be one of the ones to go as she would probably know more 'revealing' spells than we do."

Hermione blushed but nodded in agreement. "I think Harry should go as he is best at dueling and one of the twins should come to watch the map. If we take too many people it will just draw attention and remember, the teachers are all walking the halls at night now. If we manage to get the passage open then we will just do a quick survey then come back and get you guys."

"Let's get some dinner" said Ron, "Then we can finish up our homework before they take off. You know we'll all be sitting here sweating it until they get back."

"Ron is telling us to do our homework, is he running a fever?" asked Ginny. Ron punched her in the arm but he had a smile to go with the punch.

On the way to dinner they met up with Severus, Alice and Draco. "Why don't you come eat with us Draco?" said Harry. Draco looked at his Dad and received a nod so with a smile on his face he went with the rest of the kids over to the Gryffindor table, gathering a lot of very ugly stares from the Slytherin table on the way.

Draco filled them in about being pulled out of Slytherin and Sirius arriving. That's when Harry looked up at the teachers table and saw Sirius sitting there with a big smile on his face. Harry wasted no time running up to greet him with a big hug. "I know you haven't seen me since I was a baby but I have heard all kinds of stories about you from Remus. I just want you to know I am really glad you're out of that prison and I hope we can get some time later to sit down and talk."

"There is nothing I would rather do Harry" replied Sirius. "It has been so long and you have grown soooooo big! Give me a few days to get settled in and then we will take a special lunch down at Hogsmeade if your Parents don't mind."

"Great" said Harry as he hugged him again. "I'll see you later".

Draco finished telling them all about Cassy going outside and getting hexed. Then he shared how it all ended up with Sirius finding out that Erica, a girl from Slytherin, was actually his niece and he took guardianship of her. "I don't know all the details because I was listening to Mom and Dad with those ears Fred gave me. Anyway Harry, if you get to have lunch or dinner with him one day soon you can ask him what happened."

The Companions filled Draco in on what they found and what they were going to do. Draco didn't think he would be able to sneak away and help since he was living in the residence now and while Alice was usually consumed in her work, Severus never missed a thing.

"We really need to get you out of there mate. It seems like we are always trying to get you to move in with us," laughed Ron.

Later that night three of the Companions quietly snuck out to the passage entrance to see if they could get it to open. Hermione used every spell she could think of but nothing worked. Finally they went back to the common room to talk it through.

They told the rest of the kids what happened and started planning what to do next. "Well, I think we ought to watch it in shifts. If we get closer to the wall on the side, opposite the path, the Slytherins would take, then perhaps we can overhear the password" said Fred.

The others agreed and they set up a schedule. Harry and Fred were on first watch and took off to set up their surveillance. Fred brought his ears with him so they could lay them by the wall and hear better. Then they sat and waited.

They didn't have to wait very long. Around midnight, Avery snuck up to the wall and whispered, "Voldemort" and the wall opened up.

Harry had a gut feeling and told the Fred, "Let's stay here for a while, I have a feeling he might be coming right back. He had two wands in his hand and I feel like he might be dropping one off."

Ten minutes later they watched Avery come back through the hidden doorway and head back to the Slytherin common room. When he was out of sight the two of them went to the door and spoke the password. The door opened to darkness. Harry spoke 'lumos' and took a look around. The walls were stone for about fifteen feet then turned downward and became stone and dirt. They proceeded down the tunnel until they came to a ledge where they saw five wands laying on a shelf.

The tunnel continued past the ledge so they decided to check it out to see where it went. There seemed to be rooms off the central tunnel every hundred yards or so. Some of them had furniture in them and some were vacant. The tunnel seemed to go on forever then all of a sudden they came to a junction where another tunnel met up with the one they were following.

They stopped at the junction and decided they had explored far enough. They had not prepared for this adventure and they needed to put some planning time into it before they went any further. They also needed to talk to the others since they now knew where the evidence was that would convict the guys that attacked Ginny and Draco.

On the way back out of the tunnel Harry heard a strange voice, a voice that made his skin crawl. "Kill, Kill them, So hungry, Kill, Kill, Kill."

"Did you hear that?" asked Harry.

"Did we hear what?" Fred asked.

"The weird voice, it kept saying Kill, Kill, Kill" replied Harry.

"I didn't hear anything Harry, not a sound" Fred replied.

When they arrived back to the common room almost all of the others were laying around the room, fast asleep. They woke up the crew and shared with them what they found and about the weird voice. "We need to figure out how to let Dad know where to look for the wands, without getting ourselves in trouble" said Harry.

"I think we just ought to tell Dad about it now," said Hermione.

"I agree," said Neville. "He could get the wands and then get those kids sent to Azkaban."

"If we tell him right away they are going to block off those tunnels before we have a chance to find out where they go. You know they are not far from the Order meeting Room, what if one of them leads us back to that room? I think we should find a way to get those boys to get their wands and come out into the light."

"Yeh" said the Twins, "We need to set up a trap so that we can catch them in the act and not give away information about the tunnel."

"Do you think Death Eaters might be meeting in there?" asked Percy.

"I don't know," said Harry, "But there are tables and chairs set up, like someone has been meeting in there."

"Ok, but just remember that your Dad is going to blow a gasket if he finds out the truth" said Ron. "For that matter, my Dad will blow a gasket when he finds out the truth. Can't we ever stay out of the way of trouble?"


	7. Bare Bums and Bear Rugs

CHAPTER 7-Bare Bums and Bear Rugs

Sirius woke up on Saturday morning knowing that this was going to be a difficult day. He felt bad for Erica knowing that she was very young to be going through so many changes in her life. The changes would ultimately be healthy for her but he knew she must be having a rough time digesting it all right now.

Last night he had visited with Lupin, after Erica was asleep, asking for guidance and advice about today.

On the one hand he had to try and let her know that he was willingly taking her as his ward and that she was not a burden.

On the other hand she had committed a very nasty misdeed and he would have to try and instill in her an understanding that such behavior would never, ever be tolerated.

He had bargained for mercy by listing all her punishments to the victim's parents and they had agreed to a second chance for her. It would keep her from being kicked out of school, because being expelled was automatic in such abuse cases unless the victim's parents agreed to a "Mercy Pledge".

Part of that pledge was a sound spanking and he would have to keep his word because a Mercy Pledge is almost as binding as a wizards oath.

It really called for an experienced parent, and he had none when it came to raising children.

He sent for breakfast then he went into Erica's room. "Erica, it's time to get up pup!"

She casually looked up at him then realized where she was and answered quickly, "Yes Sir."

He noticed that she was already very tense, that was not a good sign. Lupin had warned him this might happen and told him that his job was to remain calm, cool and collected. It would be hard but he was to take everything one thing at a time, dealing with the hard stuff yet creating a safe and secure place for her.

"Get a shower Pup then come on out to the kitchen for breakfast" he told her.

Erica wasn't quite sure how to take this guy. He seemed nice enough, and he was really not happy with her dad for treating her badly. Yet, he had told Professor Snape that he was going to spank her. She wasn't sure what was going to happen today but since she had little choice in the matter she would just keep her mouth shut and take it a moment at a time. She was used to living that way so she could do it again.

When Erica came out she had on jeans and a t-shirt with no shoes. Her hair was still damp from the shower but she seemed alert and awake and from the looks of it, hungry.

"So how are your studies going Erica? Sirius asked as they were eating.

"They are Ok Sir, my grades are not tops but not bad. I don't like History much but that could be because of Binns, he is soooooo boring."

Sirius laughed, "Yes, he was here when I went to school and it sounds like things have not changed much."

"Well," said Sirius, "If you have finished eating, let's take our tea and go into my study and talk."

Sirius tried to remember everything that Lupin had shared with him then just started talking. "Erica, I think I need to start off by letting you know what I expect of you so that there are no surprises and you won't get caught off guard. This isn't everything but just a beginning and we can spend some time over the next few weeks talking and clarifying things."

"I expect you to be obedient and follow my directions and my rules. They are not created just because I like rules, because I don't. They are created to help you grow into a responsible adult and to be safe while you are getting there. While we are here at Hogwarts the school rules will also be my rules. You will always have a room here at our residence that you can come to, if you feel you need to or I request you to. Any time you are grounded I may or may not request that you stay here in residence with me."

"I expect you to respect others and yourself. This means being respectful of your elders. You will not talk back or get 'cheeky' with your teachers or other adults who you happen to be dealing with. If you have problems with an adult I expect you to come to me and let me handle it, do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir" she replied.

"I expect you to respect other students. Everyone is different and you will not like everyone as not everyone will like you. That does not give you the right to fight with them or curse them. If you have problems with other students just try staying away from them and if that doesn't work then ask for assistance from a prefect, head boy or girl, teacher or your head of house."

"I expect you to respect yourself. That means not demeaning yourself by doing bad things or acting inappropriately. It means not putting yourself in dangerous situations. It means trying to always choose to do the right thing. I have read your records and you are a very special person, with a lot of abilities that have not been allowed to be expressed. I think there is a lot of goodness inside you that needs to come out and I am going to do my best to help you become all you can be. You are not a bad person even though you will, because you are a child, do some bad things. When you do I will be there to correct you and discipline you so that the next time you can hopefully make better choices."

"I expect you to apply yourself to your studies. You have decent grades but I think they can get even better if you're given the opportunity to live a normal life like other kids."

"Now you can expect from me the opportunity to form a family with me. I will be responsible for all your basic needs which includes; food, clothing, housing, a loving supportive environment, education and the opportunity to grow into a respectable adult. This is not just my home, but our home. No matter what you do I will never drop you off with someone else or leave you at an orphanage. I will love you no matter if you are good or bad. We will deal with the good with love, encouragement, accolades, allowance, privileges and a multitude of other good things. We will deal with the bad with love, fairness, talk and discipline."

"Discipline has probably been a hit and miss thing in your life. From what I saw, your dad just reacted to whatever was going on around him at the moment. Discipline is supposed to help you change your behavior not make you fearful. You will always know when you are breaking a rule because you will know the rules. You will always know what the price will be for breaking the rules. I do not believe in just hitting a kid for the sake of hitting and the only place you will receive corporal punishment will be on your bum. I will not strike you on the head, kick, bite, stomp, punch or anything like that. I do believe in time outs, groundings, withholding allowance, writing essays, removing privileges, and spankings."

"For the time being each Friday night we will have family night. You will eat dinner here in the residence and we will talk about whatever might be on your mind or what might be on my mind. This way we can start to get to know each other better. It will be a time when we can ask each other questions about anything and not be afraid of reprisal. Now I may not have answers to all your questions but I will be honest with you when I can't answer them, and tell you, and you can feel free to let me know if you are not comfortable answering my questions."

"Do you have any questions of me right now?"

Erica looked at him then asked, "Are you going to be my Dad?"

"Right now I am your Uncle Sirius. Once you get to know me and if you decide you want me to adopt you just let me know and I would feel privileged to call you my daughter."

"Do you have a girlfriend" asked Erica.

"No, I was just released from eleven years in Azkaban for a crime I didn't commit, so I have not had time to find a girlfriend but I might in the future."

"You went to jail for something you didn't do?" asked Erica.

"Yes, they just proved last week that it wasn't me through the use of veritaserum and they had to pay me a large amount of compensation and let me go. So if I seem rather moody once in a while at least you will know why."

"That's horrible" Erica replied.

"Well Erica, let's just look at the positive; as I see it we have both been given our freedom from a bad situation."

"Yes" said Erica with a smile on her face. "Do you teach here?"

"Yes, this year I will co-teach DADA and I will be in charge of security."

"Anything else?" asked Sirius. "No, well there will be questions I am sure so just write them down and we can deal with them as they pop into your head."

"Now sadly," said Sirius, we also have to deal with your discipline for what you did yesterday."

Erica lost her smile and sat up straight in her chair not looking forward to what was coming next. "You mean me trying to take the little girl?"

"No, that's one thing you need to understand. You are not going to be punished for trying to take Cassy, you were only following your father's orders in kidnapping the child. It was wrong but you didn't do it because you wanted to, but to satisfy what your father demanded of you under threats and intimidation."

"No, you are being disciplined for being a bully. What I mean by bully is that you were pushing that little girl around, hurting her, but worst of all you looked as if you were enjoying it. I was there and from what I witnessed, it didn't seem to bother you that you were hurting her for no good reason. You shot hexes at her just because you could and not because it required hexes to get her to the forest. That is the behavior that we need to focus on and you need to understand very clearly that it will not be tolerated while you are under my roof."

"I was a bully when I was your age and when I look back on it I become ill just thinking about some of the things I did to innocent people. It is especially bad for you because you have been on the other end of it. You have been bullied and you should know how painful and scary it can be. You of all people should know better."

"No, your spanking today will be because you acted like a bully. I am going to spank you with my hand and finish it with a hairbrush, which is not pleasant, and you will remember it for a couple days. But….. ................. look at me, because I want you to remember this, if you EVER bully a child again, if you EVER purposely hurt a helpless child again, I will take my belt to your bare bottom and by the time I get through you will literally NOT sit down for a week. Do you understand me?"

Erica answered, "Yes Sir" with a very shaky voice and tears already forming in her eyes.

"I guess I am a rotten person".

"No Erica, you are not a rotten person, you are a good person who did something very bad. Once you receive your punishment today you will be forgiven and we will start things all over again."

"Now, I want you to come over here to me" Sirius said.

Erica was shaking badly but she managed to get up and walk over to Sirius. He pulled her over to his right side and told her, "I want you to drop your pants to your knees. You will go over my lap and I want you to know you can yell and cry all you want, that is ok but you cannot kick me, hit me, or bite me. If you do I will start the spanking all over again, do you understand?"

"Yes Sir" Erica said as she was pulling down her pants. Sirius had to help lift her over his lap as she was not tall enough to do it by herself. She felt very embarrassed, she had not known this man but a day and already her bare bum was exposed on his lap. She had never received a spanking like this before. Usually it was being yanked by her hair and hit on whatever part of her body was closest.

Sirius didn't believe in much talking during the spanking, he didn't like it when he was young and receiving a 'bum warming' and didn't see much use in it now. All the discussions were over with and it was now time to apply a bit of attitude adjustment. With that thought, he picked up the hair brush and brought it down hard on the center of her bum.

The first spank caught her by surprise and she jerked along with the loud yelp that came out of her mouth. The first spank was followed by a procession of spanks, carefully placed all over her bum that was quickly started to sting. The sting just grew and grew until it felt like her whole bottom was on fire and she was quickly crying and trying to breath through snot and tears.

She so much wanted to reach back and protect herself but he had her hand secured and she couldn't reach with the other hand. He held her tightly and she couldn't move out of the way of the swats and it began to feel like he would never stop.

Sirius methodically caused her whole bum to turn a bright red and he noticed that she was beginning to move from crying to sobbing so it was time to finish.

With that he lowered one leg and raised the other so that the 'sit spot' was prominent and proceeded to apply the hair brush on the areas that she would be sitting on for the next couple days. By the time he was finished her bum and thighs were a very bright red and she was sobbing deeply. He dropped the hair brush and rubbed her back, as Mr. Potter had done for him when he was young until he could pull himself back together.

Eventually he used his wand to replace her pants and helped her to stand up. He stood her between his legs and drew her into a hug, letting her know it was finished and she was forgiven. Her crying didn't stop so he picked her up and carried her to the couch where he sat and just held her.

After a while, she said through her tears, Uncle Sirius, I didn't really mean to hurt her. After I hexed her the first time I really didn't see her, I saw my Dad, and I just kept hexing him. I only realized it wasn't him when you took my wand. I really did feel bad for her and I hated myself because I just couldn't seem to stop. The whole time Erica was talking to him she was holding on to him like he might throw her away.

"I'm glad you shared that with me Erica, I know it was difficult, but it makes me feel much better about what happened. You need to share that in your apology letter to the Snapes because I know it will make them feel much better also. Don't forget to tell Professor Lupin what happened when you meet with him. I think he can help you with that anger you are carrying inside you so that it doesn't take control and make you do things you might regret."

"Do you really forgive me Uncle Sirius?" asked Erica.

"Oh yes child, you are forgiven. I am sure, since you are a kid, you will make more mistakes in the future and we will have to deal with them, but this one is over and done with. You still have to do your letter and your detentions and your counseling, but you can feel good about yourself again, you have paid the price of your mistakes."

"Now, why don't you go take a nap and I will wake you up for lunch." With that Erica crawled off his lap and started walking toward the bedroom rubbing her bum the whole way.

Sirius smiled then ordered tea from the kitchens and breathed a sigh of relief. He had been so nervous about this that he had not even noticed that he was holding his breath. But he had followed Lupin's advice and made it through. He probably could have done it better, but he was happy that it turned out as well as it did. She seemed to be a good kid who just needed someone to love her and guide her and provide for her so she could be twelve for awhile.

He decided to keep Erica with him in residence for awhile then allow her to go back to her dorm. That way they could get to know each other and she could see that there was more to him than what she had experienced over the last day or so. It was difficult starting off a relationship with discipline, it would have been so much easier if they could have just gone shopping and had ice cream.

**********

Severus had been busy the past few days. Alice knew he was up to something but even the most persuasive snogging could not pull it out of him. He was making all kinds of trips and coming back with smurks on his face and muttering to himself.

He knew she wanted to know his secret but he was not about to share. He was not sure that she had not been 'in-the-know' when the kids printed that picture of Cassy and him, then passed it out to the whole school.

Well, he was going to have some sweet revenge. Wizards, just like Muggles, had this silly fetish of taking pictures of their babies, bum naked on fuzzy rugs or in the bath. How useless, he thought, and embarrassing to the baby later on. Well, he hoped it would be embarrassing. He had just obtained the last picture of the Companions, all bare bums, naked, laying on a rug or in the bath.

Harry's was especially embarrassing as Severus had a sneaking suspicion that Harry had been right in the middle of the prank that had been pulled on Severus. He had picked the memories of Minerva and found the perfect one. She was babysitting for the Potters one day and Harry had messed in his nappy and himself badly. He had a picture of two adult arms holding him in the baby bath, his bum was propped up in the air being washed. It was very clear in the picture what had happened and just how messy it was. Severus was sure that Harry would not be smiling for awhile.

He went to Hogsmeade where he had a friend who was going to put them together in one large poster type picture for him to post around the castle. Along with the posters he ordered two hundred pictures of each person's bum, with name and biography, in collector card format. These he would just scatter on each of the student and teacher tables.

Later he had picked up the pictures and that next morning at breakfast each and every student and teacher saw the 'bum' posters on their way down and copies of the 'bare bum' collector cards of each of the Companions, each with a rattle and toothless smile.

Severus just sat eating his breakfast and reading his paper waiting for everyone to start reacting. He didn't have to wait very long before he heard laughter coming from the foyer and continuing into the Great Hall. The real fun started when the crowds entered and they started trading the cards.

When Harry and the crew were walking toward the Great Hall everyone was looking at them and snickering, some were even pointing. A couple people who were leaving walked passed them and said, "Oh Harry, what a cute little tush you have", then laughed themselves on out the door. A couple of the guys were walking past Ron and quipped, "Oy Ron, you couldn't pay me enough to advertise my ASSetts like that". Hermione was told more than once on her way to breakfast, "What a cute little bottom you have".

The kids were a bit shocked and bewildered until they noticed the first poster then they just about died on the spot. When they finally made it to the Gryffindore table each of them lifted the cards that were laying there and their faces all turned red all over again. They realized that Severus was behind this and they had been had! They would never live this one down, at least not in their life time.


	8. A City Under The Castle

CHAPTER 8-The City Under The Castle

The kids finished their breakfast and took off for class but they were under no illusion that today would be anything but one embarrassing moment after another. They were not disappointed.

Thankfully it was only a half day. It was the one day where they only had classes until lunch and just happened to have the afternoon free which they were supposed to use for study hall. If the afternoon had been anything like the morning they felt they would have gone crazy, what with all the embarrassing comments. The students were even voting on the 'most precious bum' and some of them had pinned their favorites on the front of their robes.

When they were all together at breakfast they had decided only one thing; they were not speaking to Severus. Their remarks, when possible, would be restricted to 'Yes Sir, and No Sir'. They would not be rude and they would answer all questions asked of them in a respectful manner but they would not initiate any conversation. He had pulled off a great prank, but they felt that he had gone over the line and when they could think of a way to get even they would.

They had Potions right before lunch and they were sure that Severus noticed a change although he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was yet. None of them offered answers to questions unless asked and there was very little eye contact unless the Professor asked them a direct question. When the buzzer went off they all left without saying a word to him.

Severus noted the change in the attitude of the kids and just figured it was a mob style 'pout in' or something like it. It didn't bother him as he just gave more house points to Slytherin than normal.

He would give it a few days and was sure they would get over it. He hadn't realized just how much the other kids would pick on them because of those pictures. He had thought that they would treat it like they did his picture where they gave him a bad time for a bit then it would just die off. But it was nothing compared to the uproar that these pictures caused. He heard it in the Great Hall, in the hallways and even in the classroom.

The other teachers were saying the same thing and they figured they would be lucky if a fight didn't break out real soon because they felt like it was close to the boiling point. Lupin tried to help him to understand that embarrassing an adult was one thing but embarrassing a child was a completely different matter, basically kids could be very cruel.

Alice was livid. She saw the posters and cards then took a moment to share with him just how badly this could possibly turn out for kids then she quit speaking to him after giving him a warning. The warning was; that he best hope it blows over because if it doesn't he might be sleeping on the couch for a long while.

The Companions wanted to get away from everyone so decided they needed to explore that tunnel together and see where it went. They had all afternoon so two by two they went to the door and entered the tunnel. Once they were all inside they followed the tunnel but this time they stopped and explored each room.

Percy pointed out that there were a lot of footprints, many more than the Snake-ettes could account for. They didn't seem to be fresh but they were not that old either. They noticed that the wands were missing so the Slytherins must have them and were planning on trying to create trouble tonight. They would have to get the map out and keep an eye on them to see if they could catch them in the act.

The Twins were ready to draw a map as they proceeded and Neville's job was to mark the path so they would not get lost. Harry, Ron and Hermione led the way while Ginny, and Draco kept an eye on the rear. Percy and Luna kept notes of what they found and a running inventory of supplies.

When they arrived at the tunnel junction they took a right turn this time and followed the second tunnel. The set up seemed to be similar to the first tunnel, with rooms carved off from the central tunnel but this time it was every fifty feet or so. Who ever created these tunnels had worked on them a very long time or knew some spells that could dig quickly.

Hermione decided she needed to do a bit of research and find out if there were such spells as she had never heard of any. Then again, in theory, spell work is only restricted by one's imagination. It is using your core magic to create or destroy things and she would imagine that the limits were set by the strength of the wizard.

The first interesting room they came across was full of food that was freeze dried and in packages. Hermione looked them over then explained to the rest of the kids that these were Muggle army rations. They are food packets that Muggle armies carry with them. All they have to do is open the food pouch and add hot water. The food absorbs the water and become eatable. Someone was planning on spending a long time in these tunnels or they were planning on having to feed a bunch of Muggles.

The Twins took one of the food packets with them just out of curiosity and the spark of an idea they had for a prank product. Whoever was storing this stuff wouldn't miss one but Hermione made them take one from the back of the pile so it was not noticeable.

The next interesting room was a lot like Dumbledore's store room where they found the cloaks and dark detectors. This room was smaller than the food room and had just a little bit of everything in it. There were spare wands, which is probably where the Snake-ettes got their spares. There were dark detectors, cloaks, and dragon hide garments for protection. Hermione suddenly became very worried when she came across a stack of Muggle weapons. Why would wizards want Muggle weapons? She settled down a bit when she noticed that while they had a lot of weapons there was no ammunition. Perhaps they didn't know about ammunition, many wizards didn't know about it.

Harry picked up a piece of the dragon hide garments and said, "I could really use this stuff, I wonder if they would miss a set?"

"Why don't we wait until our next visit, we need to come back down here soon" said Hermione, "and disable these weapons because if we don't and they figure out how to use them a lot of people could die or be hurt." The rest of the kids looked at the pile of weapons but, aside from Harry, were not real sure what they were looking at.

Harry looked at Hermione and said, "We need to figure out how to take the firing pin out of all these things. We may have to go to a Muggle book store to find a reference we can use since I don't think a wizard book store would carry it. Next time we get to go to Diagon Alley we will have to remember that there is a book store right around the corner on the Muggle side."

The next room looked like a Muggle furniture store. There were pieces of furniture stacked up ready to be used to decorate a lot of rooms. "It looks like someone is preparing to move down to these tunnels and living here for awhile" said Hermione.

The rest of the kids agreed, but could not, for the life of them, figure out why someone would want to. As they started walking out of the furniture room they heard voices. They all froze in place, their hearts going ninety miles an hour and their mouths going very, very dry.

Harry motioned for them to go back into the furniture room where they found a cubby hole to hide. "Fred, why don't you and George get some 'ears' out there with extensions so we can listen to this conversation and see if we can't figure out what's going on."

Fred and George soon honed in on the voices and handed each of the Companions an extension so everyone could listen. The more they listened the bigger their eyes became and the more fearful they became. The voice on the other end of the ears was none other than Lucius Malfoy.

"You idiots," said Lucius. "We are planning the most dangerous yet potentially the most profitable job ever devised and you idiots have to start making waves at the school. I told you to wait until we were through with this job before you started attacking the students. Your attacks were supposed to take the attention off what we were doing and now you have them pulling in all types of security right on top of us. I ought to .............. 'CRUCIO'."

The companions didn't move. They knew that Lucius was torturing the Snake-ettes and that didn't bother them much but they were finally realizing that they could really be in danger if Lucius even had a hint that they were nearby.

They stayed very quiet while Lucius punished the boys, although with all the screaming, they didn't need to. Ginny and Draco could not find it in their heart to be sad for the boys but they did find satisfaction, in some way, being able to witness a bit of revenge on them. It sounded like Lucius had finished with them when he told one of the other adults, "Wait for them to come around then take them back to the school and tell them to lay low. If I hear of any trouble they have started I will personally make sure they never see the light of another day. When you get back follow me to the Riddle house."

The kids knew then that they were going to have to stay hunkered down until the Death Eater walked the boys back then returned to Lucius, but their misfortune turned into a real gift.

"Lucius then turned to someone else and said. Ok, where were we with this planning sheet? We have just about everything we need here to sustain us while we tunnel to the bank. The Goblins are planning on finishing their bank extension in Hogsmeade by next month. Now while they won't be keeping any large sums of gold here they will have a Floo from this bank cellar to the gold storage area of Grinngotts in Diagon Alley."

"Once they finish the bank here we can take our time and Floo over to the other bank to collect as much gold as we can carry. My spy in the Goblin bank has produced the codes to the Floo, so our use of it, late at night, should not cause any alerts to go off. We need everyone to be careful and not cause anymore problems like those idiot kids of yours just did. If it happens again I am going to punish you and not them, do you understand? When the Dark Lord returns he is going to need a lot of money and that's our job while we wait, to prepare for when he comes, so let's get busy."

The kids figured that the other adults shook their heads or something since they could hear no replies. They heard a bunch of Pops which meant that they had apparated out but it also meant that they were no longer near the castle, in fact they were off the grounds. If they had been within the grounds of Hogwarts they would not have been able to apparate. This did not calm the kids at all but only brought home how much danger they were in right now. Harry, Draco, Neville, Hermione and Luna all looked at each other and realized they were all thinking how utterly livid their Dad would be if he found out. The picture was soooooo bad that they had chills running down their backs. Oh well they had come this far and they felt they needed to follow through on the information they had gathered.

Soon the guy who escorted the boys back to the castle entry way returned and apparated to Riddle Manor. When they determined that everyone was gone the kids all breathed a sigh of relief and started the long trip back to the castle.

Once again Harry stopped in his tracks as he began hearing that 'voice'. 'Kill, Kill, I am so hungry Master, Food, Kill'. Harry could hear each and every word but it sounded like it was coming out of the wall, but the others still could not hear it. He put his ear up to the wall and caught another sound, one like someone sliding or rubbing cloth on the wall as they moved.

All the kids looked at him like he had lost his marbles but then Harmione's eyes lit up. "Harry, I have an idea, let's get back to the common room and I will share with you what I think is happening."

They all felt they had seen enough for one day and they needed a safe place to sit and talk about all this information and what to do with it. When they reached the secret door the Twins pulled out their map and checked the area to see if it was safe to exit. Two by two the kids exited the chamber and headed to the room of requirement.

They had taken to meeting there more often since they were now residents of three different houses. They could all meet in Gryffindor, nobody said much about it, but they knew it was against the rules and would eventually get back to Professor McGonagall.

"Harry, didn't you say something about talking to a snake when you and your cousin went to the zoo?" asked Hermione.

"Yeh," said Harry, "It told me it had been born in captivity then my cousin banged into me knocking me down. When I stood up, I was so mad, I caused the glass to the snake case to disappear and my cousin fell into the cage with the snake. The snake ignored him, instead he escaped from the cage and took off saying 'thanks' to me on the way."

"You are a Parselmouth Harry, you can speak snake language. In fact I would guess that, other than Voldemort, you are probably the only other wizard who can speak it. You probably received the ability when that piece of him was lodged in your scar. You told us that the Goblin said there was some of him in you but not enough to be a horcrux, whatever that is."

"So you're saying that there is a snake in the walls trying to get out and kill people," said Harry.

"Yes, but I don't know what kind, I'll have to do some research on it and I'm sure Percy and I can come up with some answers" she said looking at Percy, who was nodding.

"You know we ought to wait until Sunday to talk this out" said Percy. "Tomorrow is Saturday and we have evaluations on our training. The one piece of good news we picked up on is that the Snake-etts will not be attacking anyone in the near future so we don't have to rush our plans, and we know where the wands are kept."

"Oh gosh, I completely forgot about the evaluations" said Harry. "It's not exactly something you can study for so I guess it just slipped my mind."

"Are they evaluating everything" asked Ron.

"Yeh, all the extra classes, physical fitness, dueling, animagus progress, wandless magic, wordless magic, Occlumency and Legillimeus which I hope you have all been keeping up on as it could really cause us trouble if you fail tomorrow what with what we found out today" said Hermione.

They all assured her that they had been practicing on each other constantly and were all getting pretty good at it. They would work on stuffing this new knowledge very deep tomorrow so no one would find it. It was not like the adults were really looking for anything they would just check to see how long it took the kids to push them out of their thoughts.

"Let's get some of our regular homework finished then go to dinner in the Great Hall, on second thought let's see if the House Elves will feed us in the kitchen so we don't have to endure the harassment about those horrible pictures" said Neville.

*********

Erica had a hard time sitting through classes on Friday. Her teachers, especially Severus, noticed that she was squirming around a lot and knew that she was probably sporting a very sore bum. Most of them tried to give her things to do that let her stand up or move around, giving her a break from the hard chairs.

Erica was not sure how to feel. Oh, she remembered every time she sat down that very painful encounter with her new guardian. But, she found that she wasn't really mad at Sirius, and what was funny was that she didn't feel frightened of him either. In fact she found herself wondering if he just might be an answer to her prayers. She had slept through the night which was a first in a very long time. Also, when she saw him that morning he didn't rub her nose in the fact that she had received a spanking, like her dad would have after a beating, in fact, he never even mentioned it.

Tonight was Friday night and they were supposed to have family night where they could talk to each other about anything and she could ask him questions. The more she thought about it the more she started to think that perhaps she might finally be safe and she might be able to lean on someone else to take care of her for a change. She also might be getting ahead of herself and presuming too much, but she would hope for the best and take it a moment at a time.

**********

Cassy was in seventh heaven. Today was her second day at school and she had learned how to write her name which she was now writing on everything much to the chagrin of her parents. She also made sure that they knew what she did every minute of every hour of her day, from the moment she learned how to Floo by herself, to the afternoon nap that she didn't want to take but was forced to when Mrs. Weasley explained to her the unpleasant alternative.

She had first thought that Mrs. Weasley was a pushover but she quickly learned that while the woman knew how to make learning and recess a lot of fun she also meant business and would not tolerate misbehavior. Cassy didn't get in any trouble but she came very close and had learned her boundaries around Mrs. Weasley. Still she thought that Mrs. Weasley was the 'bestest' person since peanut butter once she learned how to write her name and began to read a real book with real words.

Severus and Alice had already received a report from Molly and had to smile while listening to Cassys rendition of the day's activities. They were not upset that Cassy bordered on trouble as they and Molly figured she would spend the first couple days testing boundaries just like any normal child would. In fact they were very pleased to hear that once a boundary was established she seemed to accept it and changed her behavior quickly. This was most likely the best decision they could have made concerning the raising of their youngest daughter, well, youngest until next year when the twins would arrive.

*********

Everyone got together that night, when all the kids were tucked away, for their gathering at Minerva and Albus' residence. Drinks and snacks along with a lot of friendly talk took place with Severus taking a lot of heat over his picture prank.

Finally Severus had enough. His demeanor had changed over the summer but not all of it. He stood up and said, "I've had it, what I did to those kids was not near as terrible as you all make it out to be. If they cannot handle a bit of embarrassment then they need to think twice about dishing it out to others. What they did to me was just as embarrassing, at least to me, although the rest of you might not have thought so. I also planned their prank so that none of them had to stand alone through it, but all of them could cry on each others shoulders. They can pout if they want, and you guys can jab at me all you want to, but I refuse to feel sorry for them and if truth be known I am thoroughly enjoying myself." With that having been said he bid them all a good night and left for his own residence.

The adults were speechless! Minerva turned to Albus and told him that he needed to have a talk with his son. Albus turned to Minerva and said, "That might be difficult since I happen to agree with him" and having said that he excused himself before Minerva could threaten him with the couch as Alice had done with Severus.

The kids, who were eavesdropping, were also in shock. They stayed very quiet until Severus had passed them by on his way to his residence. Harry then said, "You know, if you think about it, he is probably right, we did deserve it and it was a great prank, embarrassing, but great. We are just upset because we didn't think of it first" he said smiling. With that they all headed back to the common room and eventually to bed. They had wanted to find out if they could get any more information on tomorrow's evaluation but it had not been mentioned so they would just have to wait and see.


	9. Score One for The Good Guys

CHAPTER 9-Score One For The Good Guys

Evaluations took all morning and part of the afternoon. It started with Physical Fitness, where all of them were rated high except for Ginny and Draco. They were still catching up from when they fell behind after the attack. They were still working on building up a few of the muscles but would probably be caught up with everyone else in another month.

Sirius was present when they went through the DADA and Dueling evaluations. He had to admit that he was pleasantly surprised at their level of competence at such young ages. They would not be able to really have a fair fight with a lot of Death Eaters because they were too young and had not developed a lot of physical or magical muscle yet. Their technique was coming along very well and when dueling with peers he was sure no one could touch them. They were all moved up a level and would be learning how to use deadly weapons and battle field techniques.

They all went to the spot in the forest that Professor Dumbledore set aside for them to practice their animagus training. They were pretty scattered on this one. While they were all ahead of the schedule that Minerva set out for them the range was pretty diverse.

They had discovered that Draco, while being a Dragon was also a Lion. Albus knew that something was going on and it had taken a month or so of research before he hit on the answer in one of his ancient books. At least that is what they told the kids. Actually Albus had discussed the phenomena with the Founders and they had explained what was happening.

"Both Draco and Harry have what is called 'utility' animagi" explained Albus, "Harry being a Dragon Rider and Draco being a Dragon will not be a forever type thing. They have these gifts for a specific purpose to be used at a specific time. We don't know the when or where of it but they will know when the time comes. Harry's animagi, the Phoenix, and Draco's Lion will be theirs forever."

Hermione was able to completely transform into her owl, and was the first one to accomplish it. The only problem she had was she couldn't transform back to her human form yet. Minerva was working with her and assured her that it took time and not to worry.

Harry could transform to his Dragon Rider but had not quite accomplished the Phoenix yet but was getting close.

Everyone was getting very close which was a time of worry for the teachers. "I know you want it to happen for you", Minerva said, "And you will be tempted to try this when we are not with you. It is really dangerous for you if you try this without supervision so please promise me, each of you, that you will not." She had each of the kids look her in the eye and give her their solemn word. She was willing to use any trick to keep them from trying this on their own at this delicate time.

The kids each gave her their word and they knew that they would keep it no matter what.

In Occlumency they were all able to throw Severus and Albus out of their minds. Granted neither one of them used enough force to hurt them, although they could have, but just enough to get a take on how strong the kids were becoming. Albus told them that they should keep working at it and start pushing each other a bit harder but that they were doing very well.

"Also, try and catch each other by surprise so that you each get used to using it even when you're not thinking about it," said Albus.

They all breathed a sigh of relief after that particular evaluation for fear that Severus or Albus might pick up on some of their recent activities.

They had just finished with the evaluations when Professor Sprout came out in a rush and sent all the kids to their dorms or residences and told them to stay there until they were called. As the kids walked off she explained to Albus and the rest of the teachers that she had found one of the seventh years from Hufflepuff, petrified on the third floor corridor. She had taken him to the infirmary. Knowing they would need Mandrake juice, in the near future, she assured Poppy they had enough growing Mandrakes to be able to deal with the situation soon.

"What can cause this type of thing Albus", asked Sirius. Since he was now in charge of security it looked like his vacation was over with.

"I'm not sure" replied Albus, "It could be brought on by a number of things, I will have to take a look at the student and then do some research, I'm afraid."

*************

"I wonder what's going on?" asked Fred.

"I don't know but the Professors were really upset" replied George, "Looks like it's time to stake out the Order room again."

In a couple hours everyone was released from the dorms and allowed to mix and mingle in the castle or grounds.

Since they were alone in the common room, Ron was working on his wand-less magic while they talked and accidentally flipped a cushion at Harry. Of course Harry had to flip one back and the war began and pretty soon everyone was flipping cushions around. Fred got carried away with himself and Ron found himself pushed up against the wall enclosed in a magical barrier, all this without a wand.

He pushed on it but it wouldn't budge and in frustration he yelled out, "Merlin, Open it". The barrier fell because Fred, after getting over the shock of what he had done, released it but they also heard a grating sound, like a wall opening. They all stopped and listened but could'nt hear anything so they started looking at the wall a bit closer. When Hermione looked behind a wall tapestry, next to the fireplace, she found an opening much like the one that led to the tunnels.

She just stood there staring at it for a moment then told them to all settle down and come look. They all stared at the hole in the wall then realized that they had found yet another secret passageway.

"Fred, get your map" said Percy.

Fred ran up to the dorm room and retrieved the Map and racing back down to the common room, he opened it. "It's not showing up on the map" he said.

"We didn't expect it to be" said Hermione, "But we had to check".

"Well," said Neville, "Are we going to take a look or what?"

They looked around and since no one was in the room they decided to take a chance and go for it.

"Wait", said Hermione. "Let me go in and see if I can close the door and open it again before we all go walking in there and get stuck with no way out." She then went through the door and said, "Merlin, Close!" and the door shut. When she gave the command to open, the door opened up again. "Ok, you guys, the door works we can go through and get back out when we need to."

Once they were all inside, they shut the door and each pulled their wands out and gave the command "lumos". This tunnel looked quite different than the first one. It appeared they were on a ledge and that there was a staircase leading down past the light they were able to cast forward. They noticed a lot more dust and there were torches. Hermione cast a lighting spell on the first torch but the rest of them seemed to be triggered by the first one and lit themselves as the kids approached them. They continued down the stairs, for what seemed like forever, then finally came to another ledge.

"It feels like we are actually inside the castle wall" said Hermione.

"I guess we would have to be" said George, "We are above the ground in the common room whereas the other secret door is below ground."

They looked at the intersection which actually seemed to be another platform before starting to descend on another staircase. But there seemed to be a purpose for this platform. Harry looked at the wall and saw two torches that just looked out of place. They would be normal if there happened to be a door between them but there was no door.............well perhaps there was?

Harry walked over to the wall and whispered, "Merlin Open".

Everyone's jaw dropped and they stood there with open mouths as yet another secret door opened. There was obviously a wall hanging hiding this door also, so Harry walked silently to the door and peeped around the tapestry to see where they were. Thankfully there was nobody in the room and his best guess was that it was another common room.

Hermione walked over and took a look then smiled, "That is a statue of Rowena Ravenclaw over in the corner. We have found an entrance to the Ravenclaw common room. We need to share this information with Luna and Ginny."

"I wonder if all the common rooms have these secret passages" asked Draco. He had been spending as much time with the group as he could. He couldn't meet with them in Gryffindor Tower as often as he would like without a lot of people being very nervous, but when they started meeting in the Room of Requirement he was able to be with them more.

"I bet every common room has access to these tunnels" said Hermione. "The ones that are high up have tunnels and stairs that lead through the walls to the ground then I bet they all join up on the same level where the Death Eaters are meeting and storing stuff."

"We have another hour before dinner, lets look a bit longer" said the Twins.

They passed a number of intersections but decided to check them out later and they eventually arrived at the ground level. They walked a ways down the tunnel until they came to familiar intersection.

Neville called out to them, "That's my mark!"

When they looked at the wall they saw the directional mark that Neville had used to mark the other tunnel when they were exploring. "These tunnels join up" said Neville. "If we make a right here we would eventually come to the other entrance behind the Slytherin statue."

"Man" said the Twins, "This just gets better and better".

"Let's go out that way so we don't have to climb all those stairs," said Hermione, I think I have an idea on how we can solve one problem without causing another. First we need to construct a fake wall at this intersection so no one will go toward the common room entrances."

With a swish of her wand a wall appeared. She then spoke a spell which would allow them entrance through the wall by much like the column at the train station.

When they arrived at the original entrance the Twins checked their map and two by two they left the tunnel each time it was safe to do so.

Once back at the common room they were all looking at Hermione. "Well," she said, "We all know we can't …NOT… do something about the information we are sitting on because if someone gets hurt or killed we would never forgive ourselves. We want the Order to have the information but we don't want to give up our access to the tunnels because we know they would seal it up. That is how I see the problem" and everyone nodded.

"Now with multiple entrances to these tunnels, we can turn in the information and still have an access that they don't know about. This will give the impression that there are no tunnels coming in this direction. When they seal up the one entrance they know about and perhaps if they accidentally find others on the other side of the Death Eater meeting room, it still leaves us with access."

"With the information hopefully they can catch the ones that hurt Ginny and Draco, perhaps catch the Death Eaters and we could still, after a time, have access to the tunnels so we could explore," continued Hermione.

The light bulb whet off for everyone and they really liked the idea. Having this much information and not telling someone was starting to bother all of them.

"The problem now" said Hermione, "Is how to let them know without letting them know that we know, or worse, have been down there, or as Dad would put it 'putting ourselves in danger needlessly'. We all know what that will cost us and I don't think any of us want to go there again real soon."

"I have an idea" said George. "We don't have to tell your Dad or my Dad anything. We can tell Sirius, who is in charge of security, that we saw Avery acting funny and secretive so we followed him and saw him enter the hidden passage way. We can share with him that we heard the password. They will think that we came right to them with the information and unless they ask us directly, if we went in, we should be safe."

"I like that idea" said Percy, "There is enough truth in it to make it fly."

"As far as the bank thing" said Harry, "I think I will send a secret note to Griphook at the bank and tell him about the intended heist. We wouldn't have to tell the Order and try to explain how we found out, and it will put us in good stead with the Goblins and will help get Griphook a few points. They are so secretive that they won't tell a soul who told them if I ask them not to."

"Great idea," said Hermione, "I'm sure that would work"

"Fred and George, Sirius probably knows that Harry has that invisibility cloak so why don't you guys go and tell him and insinuate that you might have used it. That would give you points in his eyes since they are so worried that the Weasley's are going to kill the culprits before they ever reach the inside of a jail cell. He wouldn't think twice about you sneaking around, while Draco is stuck in the residence and Sirius probably thinks girls wouldn't do such things" said Hermione with a smurk on her face.

"Harry and I checked on the way out and those spare wands are on the shelf just ready to be found so I guess we can begin" she said smiling.

The Twins proceeded to find Sirius and share the news with him. They went to Sirius' office and he was in there Floo-talking to someone from the Auror's office. When he saw them walk into his office he frowned and told whoever he was talking to that he would Floo him back in a few minutes. "What are you kids up too? I figured you would be resting, exhausted from this morning?"

"Professor Black," said the Twins, "We were on our way back to the common room when we saw Avery sneaking around looking suspicious, so we followed him. He went to the statue of Slytherin and the Snake then ducked behind it. We moved closer to see what was going on and we heard him say 'Voldemort Open'. A doorway opened behind the statue and he went inside. So we came to let you know. Now maybe you can now find the evidence you need to get the people who hurt Ginny and Draco."

Sirius just stood there looking at them like they had grown three heads. "You mean you just happened to see................no never mind," and he smiled. "Ok, I will get some help and check it out. Thanks for not following him and coming to get me" he said with his voice, but his heart knew there was more to this story than they were telling. Then he remembered his days at Hogwarts and he decided he would ask no questions.

********

Sirius figured that Albus might still be up in the infirmary evaluating the petrified student so he Floo-called and caught him, asking him to come to his office that it was very important. He also got hold of Severus, Alice, Minerva, and Lupin.

Within a half hour they had gathered in his office and he filled them in on the information he had received. "I am not surprised that the kids were following that group of boys around, I have also, when I had the time" said Severus, "I'm just glad they didn't try something on their own to catch them."

"Let's go see what our little spies have discovered" said Albus, with a twinkle in his eye. He also thought that there must be more to the story if the kids had given up the chase so quickly but he also was not going to ask too many questions.

They proceeded to the tunnel entrance and used the password to open the secret panel and were not surprised when it worked. Using their wands as light they began looking around, and like the kids, they were amazed. When they arrived at the shelf they found the five wands. "Don't touch them" said Albus, "We will be able to test to see who handled them last and what curses were used." He levitated them into a bag he conjured then turned to Sirius and said, "It looks like we might want to take a look at where this goes before we leave, what do you think?"

"We are here now so let's take a look" said Sirius.

As they walked down the tunnel they saw the rooms with furniture and those without and eventually came to the junction. "I feel the wards for the castle here" said Albus, "Which means if we go any further we are off Hogwarts grounds and whoever has been using this place could apparate. Let's take a right here and see what's down there."

About ten minutes later they heard voices ahead and they all quickly moved to defensive positions before going further. "Severus and Lupin, you take the point" said Albus. Severus moves pretty much silently and Lupin, you can hear and smell what's ahead before any of us can see it."

Severus and Lupin pulled ahead, moving from doorway to doorway, securing the front before signaling the others to move forward. As they came to a bend in the curve they signaled the others to move up then whispered that around the bend they would find a number of people.

Severus and Lupin then went around the corner and were shocked to see a number of Death Eaters bending over a table discussing some type of plan. The rest of the team moved into position just as Severus stunned the first Death Eater and Lupin took down a second.

War broke out with that first shot. The team stayed near the walls, hugging the crevices and trying to secure a bit of protection while they shot spells at the Death Eaters.

Lupin was struck with a cutting spell and was bleeding badly. Alice moved over to protect him, while Sirius drug him back around the corner.

Two of the Death Eaters were down when the rest of them started apparating out of the tunnel. Severus continued to shoot spells at them even while they were apparating hoping to cause them to 'splinch'.

It was over, the team was left alone and Severus was trying to stop the massive bleeding that was going to kill Lupin if they didn't get him help. Albus looked the situation, pulled out a port-key and handed it to Minerva. "This will take you and Lupin to the infirmary, go now!"

With Lupin in Poppy's care the rest of the team called in the Auror's to pick up the stunned Death Eaters and started taking a look around to see what in the world they had walked into. Severus turned to Albus and said, "Can you test those wands down here?"

"Yes, I can, but can't it wait?"

"I recognized those Death Eaters Albus," said Severus,"and I have a hunch that those wands belong to their sons who they will be contacting as soon as they land somewhere. We need to grab those boys quickly."

Albus levitated the wands out and let them rest on the table. He then used his wand to cast a spell on them and the names of the users appeared above each wand along with the last ten spells. "Alice and I will go and gather them up" said Severus, "While you and Sirius seal up the tunnel, and add a couple anti-apparation spells Albus. We can always come back down here and check everything out when we have more time."

As Severus and Alice started walking toward the Slytherin Common Room the door flew open and the five boys exited in a hurry not even noticing that the couple was standing there. It was quick wand work and soon Crabbe, Goyle, Avery, Nott and McNair, were stunned and secured. They then levitated them to Sirius' office and placed them in the holding cell that had been constructed there to hold prisoners temporarily. Severus sent a protronus to Albus, letting him know the boys were secured and they would wait in the office until he arrived.

"Can you watch the boys Severus?" asked Alice, "I want to go and check on how Lupin is doing, I'm really worried".

"Sure" answered Severus, "I can handle this, you go ahead and please send word when you have some information. I have to Floo the Auror office and I will ask Tonks to come over if she's there."


	10. The Castle Gives Up More Secrets

CHAPTER 10-The Castle Gives Up More Secrets

Albus and Sirius put up more wards which would prohibit apparating out of the tunnels and entry of anyone with the Dark Mark. This was not a sure fast safety feature as most of the new followers didn't have the mark and if there was an exit then anyone could enter as long as they didn't have the mark.

It would appear that only the Dark Lord could create the mark on their arms and he had not been around for awhile. That is not to say there wasn't a line of idiots waiting to receive it when he returned.

They arrived back to Sirius'office, with the two Death Eaters in tow about the same time that the Auror's arrived. Sirius shared with them the evidence and memories of the attack on Draco and Ginny, including the wands. They took out Crabbe and Goyle and moved them to a separate room. Moody was sure that the parents of the boys would not authorize veritaserum and it would take at least a week to get authorization to give it to underage youth. He decided he would try an old ploy that worked only when the target was very stupid.

He left Sirius' office for an hour then he came back in and started smiling at the three boys who we still in the holding cell. "Well your buddies flipped on you and we have the whole story. We won't need to question you as we can just use the evidence we have and set a trial date for you guys. We have decided, based on the story given to us by Crabbe and Goyle, to charge you with attempted murder.

Moody knew what had happened only because Severus and Albus can read minds. Neither Crabbe nor Goyle had any idea anyone was walking through their thoughts. It looked like their father was teaching them how to keep people out of their mind but it only worked if they really thought about it and concentrated hard. By the time they thought about it Severus and Albus had what they needed and no trace was left that they had been there at all.

It would never hold up in court but if they used the information carefully perhaps they could get the boys to confess. They could only wait another hour or so before they were bound by law to have their parents, or in this case the lawyer of their parents, present so they had to work fast.

At first the three boys in the holding cell were convinced that Moody was bluffing and they would not utter a word. That was until Sirius sat down, at a desk right near the holding cell, and started writing up his notes. He would stop once in a while and ask Severus to correct him on details that they could only have gotten from Crabbe and Goyle. All of a sudden all the boys were fighting each other for deals.

They were divided up and all promised that they would only be charged with Felony Assault instead of murder. What was funny about it all is that Felony Assault is all they could charge them with anyway. The Murder thing was something they wish they could use but the boys didn't know that. They would be fuming when they found out that they all received the same charges.

Soon everything was wrapped up and Moody, the Death Eaters and the boys were sent to the Ministry. Sirius sent a message to Draco, Fred, George and Ginny asking them to come to his office along with Arthur, Molly, Alice and Severus.

Once they had all arrived and tea had been served Sirius explained to them what had transpired. He assured everyone that they had captured the ones who had hurt Ginny and Draco. As a bonus they had also come upon a cell of Death Eaters and managed to capture a couple of them and close down whatever they were doing.

"Arthur and Molly, you need to know that Fred and George are the ones who came to me with enough information for us to capture them," said Sirius. "We want to congratulate both you boys for your work and also for not trying to capture the culprits yourselves. We all know how tempting it had to be."

Molly and Arthur were proud of the boys and made sure to let them know, although, they too, were surprised that the brothers didn't try to bring a little justice into the lives of those who had hurt their sister so badly. Perhaps they were growing up after all.

Fred and George were very, very embarrassed by receiving all the credit for what happened. Of course Ginny and Draco were really rubbing it in by thanking them profusely for turning in the boys and assuring that the culprits would be brought to justice. If looks could kill then Fred and George would be charged with the murder of said Draco and Ginny. As it was they had to sit there and take it. The Twins knew they would have sweet revenge on those two very soon.

********

When Alice arrived in the infirmary Poppy was working as a frantic pace over Lupin. He looked pale, almost grey, and was not conscious.

Alice walked up and stood beside the bed. She was there a couple minutes before Poppy noticed her. After a few minutes Poppy slowed down her feverish pace and said to Alice, "I think he'll make it. It was touch-and-go there for a bit, he had lost so much blood. What made it worse is that he had not completely recovered from the full moon transformation. He won't be doing any tap dances soon and will have to stay in the hospital for a week or so, but he should have a full recovery."

"I am glad to hear that" said a voice coming from the doorway. Poppy and Alice looked up and recognized Tonks walking toward them. "If he didn't make it I would have to bring him back to life long enough to kill him" she said with a smile on her face. "I guess everything has a silver lining" said Tonks. "If I heard you correctly, he will be on bed rest for a week and if that is true then he is in for a few long, honest talks, because he won't be able to avoid me" she said with a very ornery smile.

Poppy and Alice laughed and thought to themselves that Lupin would probably heal very quickly as he would have great motivation to get released from the hospital. It was apparent that Tonks was very much in love with the man. Lupin kept avoiding any type of emotional discussions because of his 'furry little problem' as Sirius called it. He felt that since he was a werewolf that he couldn't possibly make a good husband and he loved her so much he wanted her to move on and find a more deserving husband. Tonks was having none of it and Poppy was sure that perhaps she could find a few reasons to keep him in the bed a bit longer than a week, just to help Tonks.

Alice sent Severus a patronus, letting him know that Lupin was out of danger but it would take a while for him to heal. She also let him know that Tonks had arrived so she would be leaving and to meet her in the residence as she had some serious snogging on her mind.

***********

The next day the announcement was posted for the Quidditch tryouts. Gryffindor tryouts would be held Saturday at six in the morning. It was difficult to work Quidditch around all the extra classes that the Companions had to take but if they made the team then Professor Alice said they could replace one class of Physical Training with Quidditch practice. Everyone was thrilled to be able to get on brooms again, everyone except Madam Pomfrey and she just started stocking up on potions.

Harry sent Hedwig off with a letter to Griphook asking him to share the information about the potential for a bank heist with Ragnot. Harry shared that they had a traitor in their bank but he didn't get the name so they would have to try and find out who it is. He signed off with all the proper salutations and such and was sure that Ragnot would be pleased.

By the end of the day he heard from Griphook telling him they had caught the traitor and wanted to thank him for reporting information about the potential heist. If they had lost that much money at one time then it would appear that Ragnot might have had to pay a very heavy price, and it would not have been paid in gold, according to Griphook. So Ragnot was in Harry's debt and to top it off there was a large reward for turning in the plot so please let him know what he wanted them to do with it; deposit it in his account or send it to him.

Harry wrote back that he wanted an account set up for the Weasley Twins to be used as capital in starting their joke business eventually. He also wanted them to notify the Twins and to keep his name out of it completely.

***************

Harry, Hermione and Ron were walking back from the library when water started dripping on them. They looked up and water was pouring over the stairway like a waterfall. As they followed the water trail it led them to a girls bathroom. Hermione said, "No one uses this bathroom because of Moaning Myrtle."

"Who is Moaning Myrtle" asked Ron.

About that time Moaning Myrtle introduced herself then dove into the toilet right next to where Ron was standing, completely drenching him.

"Oh yuk!" said Ron. "What in the world is her problem?"

"She is always like that" said Hermione, "Let's get these faucets turned off so the water quits running down the stairways."

They got the water flow stopped and as they walked out of the bathroom they happened to look up on the wall, opposite the bathroom, and saw a message written there in, what looked like blood. "Heir of Slytherin has Risen, Beware all, the Chamber of Secrets has been opened again and your end is very near." It was positioned so that they would not have seen it as they entered but only when they walked out of the bathroom.

Right next to the sign was Filch's cat, hanging from a torch, petrified, and right below the cat they found Percy with a mirror in his hand. Harry sent a patronus to Sirius telling him an emergency was in progress and where they were.

Sirius was there in no time and the next thing they knew a voice came through the air ordering all students to their common rooms. "You guys stay here, I have a few questions and I am sure Professor Dumbledore will also."

Dumbledore arrived and they shared with him about the dripping water and how they came to the bathroom to turn off the faucets then they found the note, Percy and the cat. Dumbledore listened them then sent them off to their Dorm with a 'thank-you' but no information. The trio was livid! "Here we help out and they treat us like babies who are being sent to their rooms" said Harry.

"They are just trying to protect us" said Hermione, receiving a very dirty look from Harry. "I'm not saying I agree with them, because I don't! I just feel that they see us as younger than we really are and not capable of handling the information that they are dealing with. The only way we can change their minds is to share with them what we already know and we are not about to do that. Soooooo lets just let them be comfortable in their ignorance and we will continue to gather information our way."

Ron stared at Hermione and said, "When did you get all that parent knowledge?"

"Well," said Hermione, "My parents have this habit of talking about everything. When I get in trouble the first hour of it is talking it out and the last ten minutes might be punishment. I used to think it was a bunch of garbage but recently I realized that I can use this parent psychology to my favor."

Harry laughed then said, "Let's get back to the Dorm before the adults lose their psychology and get mad."

*****************

Severus and Alice decided that since the five Death Eater snake-etts were caught that it would be safe for Draco to move back into the Slytherin Dorm again. It was nice having their son around at night but they both knew he needed the socialization that went with living in a dorm. If they kept him out too long he would lose the connections he needed to make friends and he had a few years yet before he would be leaving Hogwarts.

Draco packed his stuff and Severus walked him back to the dorm. Draco had talked Severus out of holding a house meeting and threatening everyone but could not talk him out of escorting him back to his room in Slytherin House.

Seveus felt that if everyone saw him with Draco the message would ring loud and clear that they were not to mess with Draco. If they did they would be messing with Severus and that is not something any of them wanted.

Draco was eager to start searching around the Slytherin fireplace to see if there was a secret passageway hidden there. He would have to wait until much later when everyone was in their rooms but he was sure that if the tunnel system connected to the other common rooms then it had to connect here also.

One of the first things Draco did was to attempt to fulfill a request by Hermione. She wanted him to check out the rooms of the five boys captured and see if he could find a hair brush with samples of their hair. When he questioned her she just said that, "In the future we just might find the need for those hairs and this might be the last chance we have to get them."

Draco was sure she was talking about using Polyjuice Potion in the future but it was a very difficult potion and took a long time to make. He had never done it but had seen Severus do it for the Aurors at the ministry.

Whatever she had in her head, he had learned not to question it, so he grabbed some bags from the utility room then went to check out the dorm rooms. As luck would have it Severus had not cleaned out the belongings yet so Draco took the hair brush from each room, bagged and labeled them, then put them in his trunk for safekeeping until he could give them to Hermione.

Draco worked on his homework until everyone went to bed. When he felt like they were all settled in for the night he began checking out the walls. He used the passwords they used on the other doors but nothing happened. Then he remembered that the password used on the door near the statue was different so perhaps this one was different also. He uttered, "Voldemort Open" and heard the grating noise of a door opening. He looked behind the tapestry and there it was, a secret doorway. He was flabbergasted that no one had stumbled across these doors in the common rooms before now but he knew they hadn't. The Slytherins wouldn't be walking all the way to the statue if they knew about the entrance in their own common room. Draco looked around one more time then went through the door. As he had thought, it was very dusty and there were no tracks in the dirt that surrounded the doorway. He lit the torch over his head and the torches worked the same way they did at the other entrances. As he walked forward they lit for him and if he walked backwards they went out. If he manually put one of them out with his wand then they would not light automatically. This was good to know in case he met up with other people.

Draco wasn't sleepy so he decided that he would explore a bit on his own. He told himself he wouldn't go near the place where the Death Eaters meet, although he was sure they would not try and return for a long time.

He was pretty much near the ground level so he didn't have to descend but did have to walk up a flight. It was a good thing he brought a marker with him because from that point the tunnel broke off going in three directions. He first marked the doorway to the Slytherin Common Room then drew an arrow with a date to let remind himself what day he was going in a certain direction. As he walked through the tunnel he noticed that there were not as many rooms. He passed only two rooms, both were empty, before he reached the next intersection.

Before he could choose what direction to go he heard a very familiar voice, his Father. He peeked around the corner and saw Severus and Professor Dumbledore sorting through paperwork on a table. It was then he noticed the table was located in the same room that the Death Eaters were when the kids came down here the first time. He sure didn't want his Dad to see him so he quickly but quietly went back the way he had come.

When he arrived back at the first intersection he decided it was safe enough to perhaps explore in another direction so he followed the tunnel that skirted the castle wall. Soon he heard another noise and at first he was scared that his Dad had moved and that now he would meet up with him. But the sound was too loud to be his Dad as Severus was a silent walker who you almost never knew was around until he was right on top of you. With that knowledge his curiosity was peaking so he continued on.

At the next turn of the tunnel, he peeked around and saw Ginny doing the same thing he was doing, exploring. He snuck up on her and grabbed her around the mouth so that she wouldn't scream but let her see who he was. Once she recognized him he released her and smiled. "What are you doing down here?"

"I might ask you the same question" she said in a normal voice. He quickly put his finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet. Then in a whisper he told her that he had seen his Dad and Professor Dumbledore going through papers down at the main tunnel. They found the nearest room and went around the corner then sat with their backs against the wall. "I found the secret entrance to the Slytherin Common Room", said Draco. "I figured that if the tunnel system connected to the other rooms then it probably connected to Slytherin. The only difference is the password, ours is Voldemort."

"Hermione told me about the connection to Ravenclaw so I thought I would check it out" said Ginny. "Our password is the same as the rest of them so I guess yours is the only one that is different. Of course we don't have anyone in Hufflepuff so I can't be sure."

"There is one more leg to this part of the tunnel system I want to check before I go back, do you want to come with me?" asked Draco.

"Sure, let's go" said Ginny.

As they walked in the other direction Draco noticed a few more doors that they could check out later. It would seem that this section of the tunnel had doorways rather than rooms. When they reached the end they found the door that Draco wanted to check out. It looked rather special in that it had the caldron design on the door. He spoke the password 'Merlin' but nothing happened, so he tried 'Voldemort' and the door clicked. He slowly opened the door and stood there stunned. They were at an entrance to his Dad's office next to the Potions classroom. He quickly shut the door and looked at Ginny. "This is interesting, I would hazard a guess that Dad doesn't know it's here. Wait until the rest of the crew hears about this."

"It's getting late said Ginny, we had best head back to our rooms before someone notices we are missing."

"Yeh, you're right, we had best get back. If for no other reason than we need to be awake for classes tomorrow."

With that they started back and when they had walked about two hundred yards they turned a corner and ran right into none other than................. Severus.

The look that Severus gave them should have killed them on the spot and they both thought that later they would probably wish it had.

He grabbed them both by the scuff of the neck and proceeded to push them toward the exit behind the statue.


	11. The Hand Me Down Stinger

CHAPTER 11-The Hand-Me Down Stinger

"How many of you are down here in the tunnels tonight?" asked Severus.

"We are the only ones" answered Draco, "As far as I know."

That was all Severus said as he led them back to his residence. When they walked in, Alice looked up in surprise and Severus told Draco and Ginny to go wait for him in the study.

Severus waited until they were in the study then he went to the living room and explained to Alice what he had found.

He also had to take a few minutes to calm down. Those kids knew that Death Eaters had been captured in that tunnel yet there they were running around exploring like it was a big game or something.

Alice 'Floo called' Molly and explained to her what had happened. "Do you want to come over and take care of it, do you want us to Floo her home to you or do you want us to take care of it?" asked Alice.

"She is there with you and if it's not too much trouble, I trust you to discipline her appropriately and relay to her that we are very disappointed in her behavior. Let her know that we love her and will be talking with her soon about this fiasco."

"It's no problem at all Molly, in fact it's late and will probably be easier if we just take care of it and get them to bed" said Alice.

Alice walked over to where her husband was sipping a cup of tea and trying to calm down before going to the study. "Molly says to 'give unto Ginny, as you give unto Draco'". "Do you need my help", she asked.

"No, I know how you hate this part of parenting and as there is only two of them I'll take care of it," said Severus. "I just need to get passed my anger so I can handle it properly."

"You know you have Erica for twenty detentions and that will start tomorrow. This might be a good way to introduce her to our clan. From reading her apology letter and working with her in class, I think she is a good kid that just needs a good parent, which she has now, and a few good friends," said Alice.

"You know that's a good idea" said Severus. "I'll add on twenty detentions to their spanking and assign them the same days. I don't have that much for them to do, since my snakes have been up to so much trouble lately, but they can sit and help each other with their homework."

"Good idea," said Alice, "That will afford them an opportunity to interact and socialize a bit."

"Well, I am tired so let me get this part over with and send them off to their beds" said Severus as he rose, and groaning he started the slow walk to the study.

"Remember to silence the room dear, Cassy is asleep and as a favor to both of us it's wise to let her remain asleep," said Alice with a smile.

Severus walked into the study to find two very nervous kids sitting on the couch. He put the 'silencio' on the room then said, "So can one of you explain to me why, after we asked you not to go, that you decided to take a midnight stroll in the dangerous tunnels of Hogwarts? Can you explain to me why you felt so bored with life that you felt the need to invite Death Eaters over to beat and torture and kill you? On top of that we have something in the castle petrifying people and you seem to think you are immune."

The kids just sat there staring at him. He was either really losing his mind, or he was really, really mad. They didn't know what to say so they said nothing, hoping it was the right choice.

"Since you don't have anything to say then we will proceed with the business at hand. Afterwards you will both have twenty detentions with me and I will send an owl letting you know the dates."

Severus could see this conversation was over and it was time to start the water-works. He was tired and if he kept talking he would become angry all over again.

"Draco, go to the corner and stay there until I call you."

Draco walked over to the corner as Severus went to his desk and retrieved the 'Stinger' which had been given to him by his Father when he took on his first ward. 'Stinger' was a leather paddle about thirteen inches long and three inches wide. It had been a joke between Albus and Severus, as it was the very paddle that Albus had used so many times on Severus' bum. But it looked like the way things were going it was going to have a second generation work-out before his kids all grew up and left home. He really didn't like using it much as he remembered just how much it stung. It didn't do any damage but you sure remembered the sting and discomfort for a long time. This seemed like a good time to let it speak for him.

Placing the armless 'tanning chair' in the middle of the room, and sitting down, he called Ginny over to him.

"Ginny, you can cry and yell all you want but you will not cuss, kick or bite me. If you do I will start the spanking over again, do you understand me?"

"Yes Sir" replied Ginny with a shaky voice.

"For your information I have talked with your Mother and she has instructed me to punish you the same as I will punish Draco. I have to agree with her as it is a bit late to drag your parents out of their warm bed and up to the school, just because you can't use your common sense."

"Now, please lower your pants and bend over my knee" said Severus with a very tired voice.

Ginny was shaking and tears were building up in her eyes. She felt so bad about it all, but it was too late and she was now sure she was going to feel worse before it was over. She lowered her pants and with Severus assisting her she lay over his lap. He wasted no time in applying 'stinger' to her bum. After about ten swats Ginny was openly crying and Severus asked, "Why am I spanking you Ginny?"

"Because we disobeyed you and because we put our lives in danger" she barely was able to utter between crying and her runny nose.

"Right" said Severus and began the rest of the punishment. Ginny was beginning to feel like her bottom was going to actually start burning it stung so much. She knew that sitting down for classes was not going to be easy for the next couple days.

Then it stopped, but the burning continued and she couldn't stop crying. Severus rubbed her back allowing her to calm down and pull herself together. Then she felt him magically replaced her pants, allowing her to stand up and retain her dignity.

When she did stand he pulled her into a hug and told her that her parents loved her very much and if they were here they would tell her that she was forgiven.

"Draco you stay in that corner until I return" said Severus. He then walked Ginny out to the living room and asked Alice if she would walk her back to Ravenclaw Tower.

"Sure", said Alice, "let's go Ginny".

Severus returned to the study and sat on the arm of the couch then called Draco over to him.

"Draco I just can't understand you? You have been hurt by these criminals, you know they have been in those tunnels and still you put yourself in the middle of danger for no good reason. Well, lets get on with it, lower your pants and assume the position."

He pulled Draco over his lap between him and the couch, then wrapped his right leg over Draco's legs so he couldn't kick out. Ginny had not felt the full effects of 'stinger' but Draco would definitely feel it and Severus remembered that when he had received the bad end of 'stinger' he had wanted to not only scream but kick as well.

Draco was experiencing the stinger for the first time and he prayed that it was going to be the last time. He had thought that Ginny started crying pretty early in her spanking but he found out fast that he was wrong. He too was crying and he had only received ten swats, this little stinger truly lived up to its name.

Draco knew he was going to die, or at least never sit again. His legs were pinned and he couldn't move a bit in an effort to avoid the swats and this only seemed to add to the sting of the paddle.

Even though he knew it would not make a difference, he kept trying to plead his case telling Severus that he would be the perfect son and never get in trouble again.

It finally became so bad that he thought he had a whole bee hive of wasps in his pants, stinging him over and over again. He began wondering if his Father was ever going to stop or whether he was just going to kill him this time. About that time Severus raised him up exposing those sensitive spots and applied the last strokes that would make any hard chair the next day, pure torture.

Draco did not stopped sobbing for quite awhile but Severus just kept rubbing his back and letting him know it was over and within Draco's own power to make sure he would never have to meet 'stinger' again.

Draco was now done with his shower. He had thought it might help but the spray of water only caused more pain so it was a quick shower indeed, and a short trip to his bed.. Of course Draco was lying on his stomach and probably would tomorrow night also. His bum was pulsing with his heart beat, burning and stinging like the dickens. His Dad never allowed any balm after spankings as he believed that the after-sting was an important part of the punishment.

His Dad had told him before dropping him off at his common room entrance "I love you son".

"I love you too Dad, and I know it doesn't mean anything now but I am sorry."

"I know you are son, get some sleep it will be better in the morning."

Draco couldn't remember why he went exploring earlier, it must not have been as important as he thought if he couldn't even remember why. He needed to quit doing these things alone and stay closer to the others. Together they seemed to stay out of trouble more often than they got into it.

He felt bad for Ginny. She had never been spanked by his Dad before and that was a cultural shock that took awhile to get used to.

Severus was not brutal but he was very firm and made sure his message was received. He also thought it was wasted effort on his part if it didn't last for a couple days, which his spankings always did.

**********

Luna noticed that Ginny came in late and that she had been crying. In fact she cried a bit after settling into the bed. Luna crept over to her bed and sat on the side of it. Speaking softly she asked, "What's wrong Ginny, why are you crying?"

"Draco and I got caught sneaking around in the tunnel" she said.

"Why did you guys go down there alone?" Luna asked. "You should wait for the rest of us so we can always be there for each other. Going alone was dumb."

"Well, we know that now Luna and I don't need another lecture, thanks anyway."

"Who caught you?" asked Luna.

"Professor Snape" replied Ginny.

"Oh No……..you poor kid. Did he call your parents?" asked Luna.

"Yes, but they told him to go ahead and punish me the same as whatever he was going to do Draco. That meant that we were spanked with 'stinger'."

"'Stinger', what is a stinger?" asked Luna.

"It's a leather paddle that stings more than you will ever want to know. I hope he never uses it on you because I really thought I was going to start on fire. And the crazy part is that it really hurts, but when I checked in the mirror I couldn't see any damage. It's just very red and throbs and stings."

"Anyway, Professor Alice brought me back to the dorm. I have a hunch I won't be able to sit down for a week. Do you have any more of that Balm left?"

"No, I'm sorry, Hermione hasn't had a chance to go down to our practice lab lately but I'll try and get her down there tomorrow. Try and get some sleep, maybe it won't be so unpleasant by morning" said Luna.

*******

Severus went to sit with his wife in the living room. He poured himself a drink and slumped down in his favorite chair. "I just don't understand kids I guess, especially those two. They have already been attacked once and you would think that out of all the kids those two would realize the danger that is out there trying to get their hands on them."

"Ginny said you used 'stinger' on them tonight?" asked Alice.

"Yes, I don't know how else to get my message across, they are sure not listening with their ears, perhaps their bums will register" replied Severus.

"How many times did your Dad have to use it on you before the messages he was trying to teach you registered?" asked Alice with a smile on her face.

"Well, I guess now that I think about it, quite a few. I remember he spanked me a number of times with his hand when I had it in my head to go into the forest for certain plants I needed for a special potion I was working on. He always seemed to catch me at it. Finally he pulled out the 'stinger' and I don't think I will ever forget the first time I was spanked with it. That little evil monster stung like the dickens and the next day in class was sheer misery. But, you're correct, I didn't go into the forest again. I guess kids are kids and will never change. Remind me again why we have sooooooo many?" said Severus with a laugh in his voice.

Once he laughed Alice knew he would be Ok. He loved all his kids but he worried so much about them. He wanted them to be kids but he wanted them to be all grown up too. He was starting to realize that it would be a process and at times it might feel frustrating but in the end it would be worth while.

She came over to him and sat in his lap, taking a sip of his drink. Then she whispered in his ear, "Let's go to bed and think about other, more pleasurable things". He smiled at her, waved his hand putting out all the lights and carried her into the bedroom.

************

The next morning Severus, Alice, Minerva and Albus were first to arrive for breakfast. Severus explained what he found on his way back from the tunnels. "So needless to say we had a late night. "Oh, Mom I already notified Molly and Arthur about it. They asked me to discipline Ginny the same as Draco, so they will probably be squirming a bit in class today."

"Well I should hope so" said Minerva, "What in the world were they thinking?"

"I don't know but I do know what they will be thinking today because I pulled out Dad's 'stinger' and used it last night" said Severus smiling at his Dad. "God how I hated that little monster."

"I know you did son," said Albus, "But there were times when your ears just wouldn't work so I had to find a new way to communicate with your brain and 'stinger' always seemed to work."

"I can share this with you now that you're older but that little paddle is working on its fourth generation of bottoms. It is the same paddle that my father used on me, and his father used on him, so I know, from personal experience, how much the little 'monster' stings" he said with a smile.

Everyone was eating, some more comfortable than others, when Hermione and Luna finally showed up. We got up early and went down to the practice lab. She handed Ginny a bottle of Balm and told her, "Don't use this until after potions class today otherwise my Dad will know you are using it. Here is one for Draco, give it to him and tell him the same thing. I know it's rough but you can hang in there until lunch."

"Thanks you guys," said Ginny, "This is a godsend!"

"What happened to you?" asked Harry and Ron.

Ginny shared with them about their late night adventure that turned into a disaster. "Owww said Ron, you mean Mom and Dad have given him permission to punish us?"

"Yes, I guess so" said Ginny.

"I think he was just really frustrated with Draco and me" said Ginny. "We have already been attacked and I guess it looks like we don't care. Also he seemed to be really tired. He was down there with Professor Dumbledore looking through a bunch of papers. We should have left and gone back to our common rooms when we first found out they were there. Instead we were stupid and thought we could just look in another area and we would be fine. We walked around a corner and ran right into him. I think he would have liked to kill us on the spot but didn't.

"I think they are really nervous about these people getting petrified also. I haven't been able to do much research on it yet but hope I can this weekend. We also have Christmas break coming in a few weeks and we can do a lot of researching then, I hope" said Hermione.


	12. Detention And Arthur Shares A Story

CHAPTER 12-Detention and Arthur Shares a Story

Erica had doubts about this new life she was starting, especially when it began in such a rocky manner. But she really enjoyed the few Friday night dinners she experienced so far. Sirius was really funny at times. From talking with others she learned that he used to be very immature and always pulling a prank on someone. But prison seemed to have hardened him a bit. He still cut loose once in a while and those were fun times.

Her counseling was helping her to see herself from a new perspective. It was also helping her to use this time as a new beginning on which she can start a whole new wonderful life.

She was also starting her detention tonight with Professor Snape. She was a bit worried about it because she had not heard anything from the Snapes since she had delivered her apology. She knew that he was very protective of his kids and was worried that he might be holding a grudge. Neither of them had treated her any differently in class and she was very comfortable with them as teachers.

She couldn't blame Professor Snape, she had almost kidnapped his youngest daughter and put her into the hands of those who would have caused her a lot of pain. She couldn't blame him if he hated her and chopped her up for potion material.

Twenty detentions was a lot of detentions and she figured by the end of it she would know every nasty little animal that was ever used in potion making. She would probably also be able to apply for her Masters in Caldron Cleaning also.

She had put it off long enough and she sure didn't want to be late for her first detention. She reached up and knocked on Professor Snapes' office door and quickly heard a voice bidding her to enter.

She was caught by surprised when she entered the office. There was a table in the middle of the office and at the table were seated two students. Draco, she knew since they were in the same house, but she had never met Ginny. She felt a bit outnumbered, what with the Professor being the father of the person she harmed and both students being siblings of Cassy.

"Please have a seat at the table Ms. Black and begin on your homework. These two brats are here serving detention just as you are, so don't be shy" said Severus. "If you have any problems with your work that the three of you can't figure it out then you may ask for my assistance. I will not give you any answers but I will assist in helping you find where to look for the answers."

Ginny and Draco blushed at the word 'brat' and looked up from their homework to see who had entered. They knew who she was and what she had done to Draco's sister but their mothers had shared with them more of the story. They knew that just, as many of the Snape kids were abused, this Black child was abused also. The abusive parent had caused her to do some bad things but Alice and Severus didn't feel she was a bad person. Draco and Ginny's moms wanted them to try and help her make some friends and learn that there were good people out there who could like her and want to be around her.

Erica answered Severus, "Yes Sir" then sat cautiously at the table that he pointed to. Both Ginny and Draco introduced themselves and stuck their hands out with a smile on their face. They understood that she probably thought they would not like her because of what she did so they would have to make the first move.

She looked at them a moment then smiled and held out her hand, "Hi, I'm Erica, it's good to meet you."

Serverus was listening and watching closely. He would allow a few pleasantries to initiate conversation but would step in if the topic of conversation did not soon turn to homework.

He had already figured out that Hermione had interrupted his discipline routine. While the kids had been squirming a lot, because of their sore bums, during potion class, they seemed totally comfortable right now. That comfort should not have been theirs for another day or so. Hermione must be handing out balm again and he would have to have a talk with her.

"We are trying to finish our Transfiguration essay" said Draco, "Have you finished yours yet?"

"No, her questions seem to ask for more than the text book has information" said Erica.

"Dad" said Draco, "Do you have any transfiguration books in your library that we can use? This text doesn't have enough information."

"You are in detention and during detention my name is Professor Snape which you will kindly remember if you don't want your detention extended. You can look and see what's up there but please show it to me before you take it to your seat" replied Severus.

Draco blushed and said, "Yes Sir" but from there on they were able to assist each other and pretty much finished their homework for the day. At one point Severus told them to bring him their finished essays so he could check them out. They brought them to him and he marked the errors and told them to correct them. The kids didn't not appreciate red marks all over an essay that they felt had been finished and ready to turn in, but Severus just smurked and pointed them back to the table.

Severus kept them an hour after curfew, just to bring home the point that they were serving detention and not participating in a love fest. Their homework was finished for the next few days and they would appreciate the extra time it took when they received higher grades and witnessed astonished teachers.

*********

When Draco returned to the common room he found a 'Firsty' sitting by the fire writing in what looked like a diary. Severus required all 'Firsties' to go to bed at curfew. He felt that for the first year they needed their sleep and it also seemed to cut down on what they overheard the older kids talking about. Sometimes the first years were just learning, too much too fast, and this was just one way to slow down that transfer of 'mis-information'.

"You do know that Professor Snape will be here soon", said Draco, "And if he finds you sitting up he will not be a happy camper and if he is not a happy camper then you will definitely not be a happy camper."

The Firsty looked at Draco, paled, then took off for his dorm. First through third years slept in dorm rooms then after third year Slytherins had private rooms. They seemed to be the only house that was set up this way and Draco could hardly wait until he was a fourth year.

**************

Neville was looking at his newly acquired plant that decorated his bedside table. He loved plants and one of the students was going to throw it out but he asked if he could have it. The kid looked to be a Slytherin first year, nice enough kid but kinda skiddish.

Neville just barely made it back inside by curfew. He had gone to the greenhouse to transplant the young plant and give it some new and better soil. It looked very happy now and he would keep it close, watching it, until it had fully recovered from its traumatic experience with that other kid.

Once he had it healthy again and it was bigger then he would take it to Professor Sprout and show her what he had done and that he had saved the plant. As he looked through the plant book he had he decided that it most closely resembled a plant called the Flitterbloom. He didn't have much information on it yet, but when he had some spare time he would look it up.

Right now he had to get his Transfiguration essay finished and it was giving him fits.

***************

Harry was with Fred, George and Hermione. Ron had given up on them a while back as they were really into study. Not exactly the study that their Professors wanted them to study but non-the-less study.

They were trying to figure out how to update the Marauder's Map. There was so much that the map wasn't showing and there had to be a way to update it.

They had managed to create another map through an ancient duplication charm. They were surprised to learn that the second map worked as good as the first. This allowed them to practice on the second map, trying different spells that might allow them to add information.

They were getting really frustrated when Hermione noticed a few rune markings on the bottom of the map. "I wonder what they stand for" she questioned as she ran for her runes text book. After she translated the runes she just about laughed herself to death while the boys just watched her thinking that perhaps she had gone over the edge.

She then ran for another text book and came back to the table. She opened the book to near the end of the book, then read for a few minutes. She then reached up with her wand and drew out a silvery looking strand from her head. She placed the silver strand on the map and said, "I promise I am up to no good, up-date the map from these memories".

They all watched as the map grew in size and the memories became visible tunnels and entrances. Hermione then used her wand and lifted the memories, replacing them back into her head. She then taught them how to do the memory selection and soon they had all the memories reflected on the map.

"What's interesting is that now the 'room of requirement' and the 'Order meeting room with the portraits of the founders' show up on the map also," said Hermione.

"Well that's neat" said the Twins. "It looks like the map has accepted us as the designers now and will allow us to up-date it as we gain more information."

"I'm surprised that it shows the room of requirement" said Harry, "That must mean that it has a finite size but doesn't show it all the time depending on what we want it for. This is very confusing."

"We need to get Draco and Ginny up here as they have even more information about the tunnels" said Hermione.

"Look, there they are in detention with Dad right now" said Harry, "And knowing him they won't get off early. Look, Erica is with them and it appears that Dad has them all working on some project together."

"We'll get them to do it tomorrow" said Hermione, "Once we can get the map updated then we can explore the tunnels again. We will be able to see if someone is down there, and not get caught like Draco and Ginny. I sure don't want to have a personal meeting with that 'stinger' thing."

"You're right," said The Twins, "We need to make it safe to travel down there. Our parents are not the only danger, those Death Eater could come back at any time. They might not be able to apparate into the lower portion anymore, as I am sure that Dumbledore took care of that, but I would hazard a guess there are other entrances from the outside."

"Well we have done all we can do today" said Harry, "I'm going to finish up my Potion homework before Dad comes down on me for my grades."

**********

The adults all came together for their nightly ritual at Minerva's residence. They knew it belonged to Albus also, but while Albus ran the school, Minerva ran the residence. There were treats and drinks all around and plenty of catching up. Molly and Arthur even dropped by, feeling the need to take a break from the empty home and connect with friends.

"So, Severus, how did our daughter take the new arrangements?" asked Arthur.

"I think she was surprised but she took it well" replied Severus. "I think your youngest son was a bit more bothered about it than she was," smiled Severus. "I think he still believes I am a Vampire."

Arthur laughed, "It will do him good to be a bit confused for awhile. It just might keep him on his toes and out of trouble more than just a few days at a time."

"I used the stinger paddle that Dad passed on to me, and the word has spread quickly so I think they are all on their good behavior right now" laughed Severus.

"Oh, Goodness said Molly, as her faced turned very red. I didn't know that little monster was still around Albus?"

"Yes, I handed it down to Severus when he took on his first child to take care of" said Albus. "I figured he would need it more than I would. Anyway I now have, what the Board of Governors call, 'stinger senior'."

"Most of the present Board of Goveners have at one time or another felt the effects of 'stinger' and if they haven't the rest of them filled them in. So when we decided to do away with all those old antiquated punishments like the king size wooden paddle and the cane they settled in on the Head Master having only one punishment, 'Stinger Senior'. It is stinger junior, only its, four inches wide and twenty four inches long. I haven't had to use it yet, thank goodness. The maximum for the old Cane, if you remember was six, well it's twenty for this. That doubles if the person has caused bodily harm to another person maliciously."

"I was glad to get rid of all those old punishments that have been on the books for so long. Do you realize that there were even potion punishments still on the books. One of them caused a mark to appear on the student's forehead if they received a spanking from any school official.

"Even many of those contraptions in Filch's office were listed in the punishment book along with how to use them and the limits placed on them…... Horrible. Anyway, we got rid of all of it and now it's just 'stinger senior' and only the Head Master or their delegate can use it. Of course Mr. Filch is not quite sure what to do with all the empty space in his office now but I figure we can help him out."

Severus looked at Molly then asked, "How do you know about 'stinger' Molly?"

"Well, let me answer that" said Arthur, "Molly and I were in our seventh year, and we were caught in Hogsmeade having dinner, when it wasn't a Hogsmeade weekend. Suffice it to say that our parents were all out on assignment so Albus, being staff-icharge, stepped up and acted as parent. He caught us before we could get to the room we had arranged for."

"Since we were off grounds, and Voldemort was alive and killing people, he made sure we would not forget our special dinner for a very, very long time. We may have thought we were too old to be spanked, but he changed our minds in a big hurry."

Molly and Arthur both laughed, "What you don't know Albus, is that the next day, while we were comforting each other, shall we say helping each other apply a special balm to those areas affected we got a bit carried away and we think Bill was the wonderful gift granted to us that night."

Albus laughed and laughed, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Have you ever shared that with Bill?" he asked.

"Oh yes, I have" said Arthur, "And he got a big kick out of it."

"Anyway," said a very red faced Molly, "I was surprised to hear that 'stinger' was still around since it is very, very evil" she smiled.

"Stinger was not only still around but we came to know each other on a first name basis when Dad brought us together a number of times," laughed Severus. "And now when my kids are grown I will hand it down to them"

"We received word from Moody" said Albus." There seemed to be a bank heist planned and when we broke up the little Death Eater den, down in the tunnels, it also nixed the heist. The Goblins had already received word about the heist and had taken precautions. They wouldn't tell us who told them but it seems they even caught a spy in their own Bank."

***************

Harry lay on his bed. All day long he seemed to be getting angry and he thought he knew why. The teachers and parents all seemed to be pushing them to get more and more training so that they could deal with Death Eaters. But he knew there was more to it than that. Every time he talked about Voldemort, they all seemed to look at each other and clam up. He was starting to feel just a little bit used. They wanted him to become this fighting weapon and he didn't know why. If it was to fight Death Eaters then why wasn't everyone getting the same training?

He was sure he would feel better if they would just talk to him about what was happening but all the information they got they had to get through hiding, or those ears, eaves-dropping and the rest. They should just sit him down and tell him and stop saying things like, 'when you get older' or 'when you're ready' stuff.

They were having an Order meeting tonight and he was going with the Twins to listen in. He hoped that they would finally discuss the 'why' of all this secrecy and training. If he didn't get some answers soon Harry had decided he was going to enter the Order room by himself and ask the Founders what was going on.

Since they all had their own invisibility cloaks, having kept a few from the tunnels, he didn't have to share and would meet the twins in the room next to the Order room. He was bored so he started early and took his time. He was behind a couple Order members and had to hide in an alcove when two more joined them and started taking up too much space.

For some reason he decided to add the 'smell' and 'sound' charms and patted himself on the back for thinking about it when Lupin came around the corner. He stayed in the alcove and held his breath when Lupin walked by. He didn't dare to breathe until Lupin was a ways down the corridor. That man could hear a pin drop from a mile away it seemed.

Harry was still in the alcove when Albus and Severus walked by. Albus told Severus "I think I want to share with them about the 'prophesy' tonight, it will stop all these infernal questions about why we are guarding the ministry.


	13. Some Good News And Some Bad News

CHAPTER 13-Some Good News And Some Bad News

Fred, George and Hermione finally joined Harry in the room next to the Order meeting room. Harry already had the 'ears' set up and was listening to general chit-chat that was going on before the meeting was called to order.

Harry looked at the other two and said, "They have a schedule of assignments for watching something at the Ministry. From what I can put together there is something in the ministry that they think Voldemort and the Death Eaters want so they are taking turns hiding under an invisibility cloak and standing guard near the Department of Mysteries."

"We know where that is," said Fred.

"Yeh, Dad took us down there one time a couple years ago" said George. "It's filled with all kinds of weird stuff although they wouldn't let us go into the areas with the really weird stuff."

Hermione held up her hand, catching their attention, as Dumbledore had just called the meeting to order.

"I know there has been some grumbling about why it is so important that the Death Eaters or Voldemort not be allowed to enter the Department of Mysteries. We have had all of you working on Occlumency and I think you are ready to handle it" said Albus.

"In that department there is located a Prophesy about Harry and Voldemort. One of Voldemort's spies heard the first part of the Prophesy but not the ending and it's very important that they don't hear it. This is the whole prophesy, and when you hear it I'm sure you will understand its importance;" said Albus.

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches, born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies, and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will power the Dark Lord knows not, and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives, the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies."_

"Voldemort only heard that there was a child born that would defy him and so Voldemort marked Harry as the one. Only Harry and Neville fill the requirements of the Prophesy but by marking Harry with that scar on his forehead, that creates a selection. It's a lot like a self-fulfilling prophesy as it could have just as well been Neville" said Albus.

"The end of the Prophesy not only says they will meet but that one of them must die and Harry had a power that Voldemort doesn't have and doesn't know about. Voldemort always thought that the rest of the Prophesy will provide him with enough information to win out over Harry" said Albus.

"We also don't want to lay this on Harry yet because he is not trained enough to handle it and he is too young yet to deal with it emotionally. So, we are protecting the Prophesy and hoping to catch them when they to try and retrieve it" concluded Albus.

Everyone in the Order meeting room and in the room next door just sat for a few moments with their mouths hanging open and not knowing what to say.

Albus continued, "We also think that Lucius may have found what was left of Voldemort and it will just be a matter of time before he is brought back to life. There are a lot more happy rumblings about his return than normal and Lucius has been out of country for the past month."

"There is also more bad news", said Albus, "There was a second attempt on the Burrow. Nobody was home as Arthur was at work and Molly had taken her school children on a field trip. We are going to move them back to Hogwarts, along with the Day School that Molly started. That will assure that parents of young children will have a safe place to send them and that the Weasley's will be safe. We think he is after one or more of the kids to use as leverage to make Arthur gather information for them."

"Now the Companions, as the founders like to call them," said Albus, "Are doing very well with their training, far better than we expected. They couldn't protect themselves against an organized Death Eater attack yet but they are to the point where they could probably protect each other from individual attacks. And there are the port-keys that each of them wear to bring them back to Hogwarts if they should be in trouble. They saved them one time and I am sure they might come in handy again."

"Percy is one of the victims of whatever is attacking Hogwarts from within. His parents and of course his siblings and friends are very upset. We haven't figured out yet what is causing the problem but we have narrowed it down to a few creatures that have the ability to petrify humans and animals" added Albus.

"I know this is a lot of information and we are pretty busy since we have to work on so many fronts at the same time. Add to that the tunnels that were discovered right under the castle and it feels at times that it is almost impossible to deal with so much in such a short period of time. Are there any questions so far?" asked Albus.

"Yes," said Lupin, "Why don't we just remove the prophesy and destroy it. We know what it says and there is no need to spend all this time sitting down there, illegally I might add, guarding the stupid glass ball."

"I hear what you're saying" said Albus, "But the only ones who can remove the ball are the ones mentioned in the Prophesy. That means that Voldemort or Harry would have to enter the room and physically remove it. The prophesies are granted to one person, who in turn puts it in storage but from that point on if the wrong person tries to read it then it will kill them and if dropped it might explode. If it exploded down there it would destroy a lot of property. I only know what it said because I was present when it was uttered and I gave the prophesy to the Unspeakables to safeguard."

"I am sure the Death Eaters are trying to locate its specific location so that when Voldemort returns they can lead him to it" added Albus.

"Now" started Severus, "We have finished going through all the paperwork in the tunnels. About all they tell us is that they were planning on entering the bank from underground then Floo'ing to the main Bank to steal gold. The Goblins already knew about it and have taken measures to insure that it can't happen again."

"The rest of the papers were not of much interest except for one file. It was a full report about how a boy named Tom Riddle framed Hagrid about fifty years ago. He set him up so that everyone believed that Hagrid was the one who owned the creature that dwells in the Chamber of Secrets. Hagrids pet at the time was not the Chamber creature but a spider named Aragog, who still lives in the forest. Albus has spoken with Aragog and while he knows that there is a monster in the castle he will not talk about it. He even threatened to sic his children on anyone who comes to their lair asking questions. We have decided not to upset him any further and told Hagrid he had best stay away until they settle down."

Hermione raised her fisted arm in the air and when she brought it back down said in a loud whisper, "Yes, I know what it is!"

They rest of the kids looked at her weird but she only said, "I'll tell you when we are all together."

The meeting ended about thirty minutes later but the kids would have to sit and wait until everyone was gone before they could go back to their rooms.

Hermione used the time to write out the message she would send out, as soon as she could, asking everyone to meet in the room of Requirement the next evening.

**********

The next morning Cassy woke up early as usual and started to prepare to go to Mrs. Weasley's house for school. Alice came into her room and explained to her that the school had been moved to Hogwarts so she wouldn't need to take as much stuff with her as usual then helped her to repack her bag. "Let's get some breakfast in the Great Hall today, what do you say?" asked Alice.

"Really" said Cassy, "I haven't eaten in the 'weather room' in a long, long time."

"Cassy" said Alice, "We just ate dinner in there the other day, and it's not a weather room, it's the Great Hall."

"But it always let's us know the weather and the other day is a long time ago", replied Cassy with her proverbial lip hanging out.

Alice gave up and took Cassy's hand as they headed out to meet up with Severus.

After breakfast Alice walked Cassy to her new classroom and shared a few words with Molly. She knew that Molly and Arthur were moving back into Hogwarts and must be a bit upset. She wanted to try and make the transition as painless as possible for them as they were probably feeling like the whole Death Eater population was after them and their children.

Molly was her bright and cheery self. "I learned a long time ago Alice just to take it as it comes and try to enjoy each moment as I can. We have been targets of their anger for so long I don't know what I would do if it ever changed."

"Well, you are braver than I am. I am always worried about Severus or the kids. It seems like they just don't take all this serious enough" said Alice.

Molly just smiled and said, "You are just starting out as parents, even though your kids are older. Give it a year or two and you will not have the stomach pain and fear attacks as frequently. I know when it was just Bill and Charley I tried to protect them from everything. That's probably why they both found jobs as far away from home as they could" she laughed.

The youngsters all settled down into their new school environment quickly. Cassy even outdid herself on one of their tasks and Molly told her she was becoming a big girl now.

Cassy latched on to her words. Being the youngest in the family she was always being told she was too little or too young or too something. Now Mrs. Weasley said she was a big girl. Well, if she was a big girl now maybe she could go to big girl school.

Cassy watched Mrs. Weasley closely and when she was very busy with a naughty child, Cassy snuck up to the desk and took her wand. She then walked out of the room and went toward her Gandma's classroom. Her Gandma did really neat things in her class like turning animals into cups.

She snuck into Gandma's class and crept into a seat at the back of the classroom. Everyone was listening to Gandma explaining a spell so they didn't even notice her. Gandma was showing them how to turn a pin cushion into a rat. Cassy listened very closely then grabbed the box of extra pin cushions sitting on the empty desk next to her and started practicing the spell just like the other kids.

Everything was fine until a couple of the kids started screaming in pain. Minerva walked to the back of the classroom to see what mischief they were getting into when she saw a couple porcupines walking down the aisle. They had rubbed against the legs of the students and left a few quills in their wake.

Pretty soon she saw a few more and many more of the students were screaming in pain, some of them even crawling up on their desks.

"Who is turning their pin cushions into porcupines?" she asked as she continued toward the back of the classroom.

Cassy didn't see her Grandmother coming toward her and with her being so little her Grandmother didn't see her until she was almost on top of her. When Minerva did finally spot the culprit she saw an almost seven year old child grabbing pin cushions out of a box and happily turning them into porcupines.

Minerva waved her wand and the porcupines disappeared, then she waved it again and the pin cushions also disappeared. Cassy just sat there wondering where her pin cushions had gone then she looked up and saw a very angry but bewildered Grandmother standing over her.

First, Minerva told took Cassy's wand, then said, "You sit in that seat and don't you move so much as a muscle little girl, do you hear me?"

Cassy lost her smile then nodded yes.

Minerva then proceeded to call Poppy to the classroom, letting her know ahead of time that she would be dealing with removing porcupine quills from the legs of several children. She then settled the kids down and told them to sit quietly until the Madam Pomfrey arrived and she would take care of them.

Everyone was very quiet, except for a few sniffles here and there, when Poppy arrived with what she needed to treat the problem. "Now class", said Minerva, "Those of you who are not hurt may leave and go to your dorms." There was a scramble and most of the kids vacated the classroom.

Minerva continued, "Once Madam Pomfrey takes care of you follow her directions. If she tells you to go to the infirmary you will go without question, if she releases you then go to your dorms." With that Poppy began the work of removing porcupine quills which was painful and slow even with magic.

Minerva then turned her attention to her youngest grandchild. "Come with me Cassy!"

Cassy slowly crawled down out of her desk and followed her Gandma to her office. When they reached the office Minerva shut the door and told Cassy to go over on the couch and have a seat. Minerva went to the Floo and checking the class schedule, called Severus.

"Hi Mom, what's up?" asked Severus.

"Could you please come to my office, we seem to have a little situation and I think Alice has a class this hour" said Minerva.

"Sure" he replied, "I'll be right there after I put this project away."

Severus put his project under stasis and headed to his Mom's office. When he arrived at the classroom he saw Poppy pulling porcupine quills out of the legs of some students that had received a 'sleep charm'. There were other kids waiting to be seen and a few crying as they applied cream to their legs. What in the world was going on he thought.

He walked on through the classroom to the office and knocked on the door. "Enter" replied Minerva.

Severus entered his Mom's office to see her sitting, drinking her favorite, 'calm me down' tea and Cassy sitting quietly on the couch. Since his daughter, who was usually always moving, didn't rise to greet him and was not looking at him he guessed that the situation in the classroom had something to do with her.

Severus looked at his Mom then asked, "Am I going to need some of that tea?"

"Yes, Son, I think you just might" replied Minerva. "I have some good news and some bad news for you, which do you want first?"

Once Severus was settled with his tea, Minerva shared the story of the porcupines with him. "The good news is that this child has very strong magic. We are going to have to get Albus to measure it. She is only just going on seven and can already transfigure living creatures faster than most of my sixth years. Sadly she didn't transfigure them correctly and we had porcupines running around instead of rats, but none the less she did do the magic."

Minerva continued, "The bad news is that I am not sure where she picked up this wand" and she handed it to Severus.

"So" summarized Severus, "She stole a wand from someone, then proceeded to attend a class in transfiguration with sixth years and transfigured pin cushions into porcupines. It that the gist of it all?"

"Yep, father of a prodigy, you have it figured out" laughed Minerva.

Severus put his cup down and looked at his youngest. "Cassy, come over here and sit on my lap, we need to talk."

Cassy got up very slowly and crawled down from the huge couch. She walked over to her Father and he pulled her up to sit on his lap. "Cassy, can you please share with Grandma and me what you did this morning?"

She took a very deep breath and then said "Welllll, daddy it's a bery long story!"

Severus almost broke a smile and had to think about the crying kids in the next room not to laugh at his precocious child. "Welllllll, child we have a long time to listen so perhaps you would like to start at the beginning."

"Daddy, Mrs. Weasley told me that I was a big girl now. So I figer if I'm a big girl then I should go to big girl class. Gandma has the bestest classes of all the classes so I went to her class. Then I membered that you have to have a wand to go to Gandma's class, so I borrowed one from Mrs. Weasley since she wasn't using it. Gandma always says you shouldn't go to class unpared, and I wanted to make Gandma proud of me" she said with a glow of truthfulness about her.

Severus looked at his Mom then at Cassy. He felt like he was in over his head on this one but Minerva stepped in to save the day.

"It was very proper of you to want to be prepared to attend my class Cassy and you did a wonderful job transfiguring those porcupines" said Minerva. "But Cassy there are a couple problems. First, we don't transfigure porcupines because they hurt people and that is why we try and make students wait until they are older before they try. Secondly, you took a wand that was not yours, that is stealing, and what does your daddy say about stealing?"

Poor Cassy went from being on top of the world to the pits. She didn't understand about the porcupines as she was not really watching what the animals were doing once she transfigured them. She would just reach in the box and grab another pin cushion. But she knew exactly what her daddy had to say about stealing and it was not good.

Severus could see the thought process take place as her faced changed from being thrilled she could impress her Grandmother to one of panic because she had broken one of her Fathers golden rules.

Severus was struggling on how to balance out his response. He could not let her get away with stealing, especially a wand, but he didn't want to stifle her ability to advance her magic beyond her age. Finally, after looking at his Mother and she read his mind and nodded, he felt he might have a solution.

"Ok, Cassy, what is the punishment for stealing?"

"A spppankking daddy and peaseee don't" she answered.

"That is the rule Cassy, You Do Not Steal Ever!" replied Severus, "So tonight we will take care of that. I also want you to practice your writing skills by writing an apology to Mrs. Weasley for stealing her wand, to the students who were hurt by your porcupines, and to Professor McGonagall for disrupting her class. Then, since you are a big girl now, you will serve twenty detentions with Professor McGonagall so that you can learn how to transfigure correctly. You will be able to use a wand only when your Grandmother is present and allows you to, is that clear?"

"Yes, Daddy" she replied. "So now I can tell the kids that I have detention just like the big kids?" she asked as her face lit up.

Severus just shook his head and said, "Ok, Cassy there is a crayon and paper on the table over there, I want you to do the best you can to write that you are sorry to Mrs. Weasley and you can give it to her when we return her wand."

Cassy crawled down from his lap and went over to the table, then looked back at him and said, "I don't spell bery good daddy".

"That's Ok, just do the best you can."

Minerva looked at Severus and said, "You do know she is going to be running Hogwarts before she is ten."

Severus just looked at his Mother and said, "Can we retire then?"


	14. Severus And The Girls Day Out

CHAPTER 14 –Severus And The Girls Day Out

When Harry returned to the Dorm after eavesdropping on the Order, he was very quiet.

He didn't really have what you would call a headache it was just a constant tickle that was starting to really bug him, it was irritating! He had already told Madam Pomfrey about it and she gave him something for a headache but it had not helped. Since it wasn't really painful he just tried to ignore it but one of the side effects was that everything irritated him even someone drumming their fingers on a table.

He was also upset about being left out of things by the adults when he might be able to help them. Now another student was petrified and something had to be done to bring it to a halt.

Then to top it off, he hears about a prophesy. A prophesy that says he will meet Voldemort and one of them is going to die. He really resented the fact that this information was being kept from him. He had a lot of questions but couldn't ask them because he wasn't supposed to know about this prophesy and if he said anything about it then he and his friends would find themselves in a lot of trouble.

The rest of the kids just thought he was tired but Hermione knew there was more going on than being upset about the Order.

"Get some sleep and maybe you'll feel better about it all in the morning" she told him.

"I doubt it" replied Harry.

"Why don't you just sit down and have a talk with Dad?" asked Hermione. "I will be with you if you want company."

"You know he won't give me any answers and if I even hint at what I already know, he will probably blow his cork. I love him, I really do, but sometimes I think he takes this Father thing a bit far. I mean I have to have some kind of picture of what I am walking into when I get older, what is the use of being a kid if you can never make it into adulthood?" asked Harry.

"You're going to eventually go to the ministry and get that prophesy aren't you?" asked Hermione.

"Not right now but as soon as I can figure out a way that might work, then yes, I will go and retrieve it. I am still not sure that Professor Dumbledore is sharing ALL the truth. You know how he is about secrets, what isn't he telling us? I love him as a Grandfather, but I don't trust him to be doing all this in my best interest, do you know what I mean?" asked Harry.

"Yes, after the Dursley incident, and all the other control issues, I can understand your lack of trust" said Hermione. "Sometimes he has a funny take on what is good for a person and what is not. I guess we will just have to find out for ourselves. I have an idea forming in my head on how we might pull it off, but let me work on loose ends before I share it Ok?"

"Listen Hermione, this will probably get me into a bundle of trouble and I don't want to be the cause of Dad coming down on your case" said Harry.

"Well, we will just have to work it out so he won't come down on either of us, won't we" she said with a smirk. "You are not alone in this you know! Don't forget that my parents lost their lives because of all this madness also so I have a big stake in finding out what is really going on."

Harry blushed and said, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to diminish your loss, I just know reckoning with Dad can be a painful experience."

*****************

Severus took Cassy to Mrs. Weasley's classroom. When they walked in they found the kids hard at work drawing and Molly crawling into one of the big closets that was in the room, like she was looking for something or someone and very worried she couldn't find either.

"Molly, could this be what you are looking for" asked Severus as he pushed Cassy forward and held up Molly's wand.

Molly stood up with a great sigh of relief on her face. The look of relief quickly changed when she connected the dots and figured out who had taken her wand. Severus pushed Cassy toward a wall and said firmly, "Cassy you go stand in that corner until I call you, do you understand?"

"Yes, Daddy" answered Cassy as she walked over to the corner. Cassy didn't like corners but she figured it was better than facing Mrs. Weasley right now, because she didn't look like she was very happy.

Severus walked up and sat next to the desk while Molly sat in the teacher's chair. He used his wand to raise a silencing spell then explained what happened and what was going to happen. Molly was flabbergasted "You mean to tell me she transfigured not just one but a number of porcupines with a wand that was not even her own?"

"Yes! Mom is going to work with her during her 'detentions'". He then shared with her about Cassy's reaction to having detention and Molly started laughing.

"I am sorry Severus, I guess my compliment started this whole mess but she did so well with her task I felt it was appropriate."

"Don't worry about it Molly, she deserved the compliment and she will deserve her punishment for reacting in an inappropriate manner. I have a hunch that with this child we are going to have our hands full. I am so glad that we have a number of strong Wizards and Witches around because it may take a quite a few to take care of some of the problems she will create."

"Anyway, I am going to take her home now, Alice should be there shortly, and we will have a family meeting" he said with a smile.

Severus lowered the silencing charm and said, "Cassy, you may come over here now as I think you have something you want to say to your teacher."

Cassy walked over to them slowly, with her eyes looking at the ground. When she reached where they were standing she took a deep breath, looked up at Molly and said, "I am bery, bery sorry for taking your wand Mrs. Weasley. Here is my letter of apoge to you. I got detention too, just like the big kids," she said smiling. Then when she saw that her Father was not smiling she changed her expression and said, "I won't ever do it again I pomise!"

Molly took the letter and replied, "Thank you Cassy for your letter of apology and I accept it. We will see you tomorrow."

When they arrived back in the residence Severus ran her bath for her and watched while she played in the tub. Drying her off he asked her which pajamas she wanted since she would be staying in her room the rest of the day. "Oh pease don't ground me, peaseeee Daddy" said Cassy.

"You will be grounded for a week, except for school, and meals so don't bother begging or arguing! Now put on your PJ's. For the rest of the afternoon you will go to your desk and begin writing your letters to the students, you have to write ten of them and I will help you with the names when you finish."

After she put on her PJ's Severus picked her up and carried her to the bed where he sat down and stood her to his right side. "Now young lady tell me what happens with any of you kids if I catch you stealing" asked Severus.

"You spank us Daddy, peassseee don't spank me" said Cassy.

"I'm sorry little one, you broke the rules and you have to pay the price. Now since you think you are a big kid now I am going to punish you like a big kid and I will be using a slipper."

"Oh no Daddy, Harry says the slipper hurts, peasse don't use the slipper" begged Cassy.

With that Severus pulled her over his lap and bared her little bottom. He pulled the slipper out of his pocket and gave her a light, but noisy, spank which stung a bit and caught her by surprise. Then asked her, "Cassy, why am I spanking you?"

"Because I stole Mrs. Weasley's wand, Daddy" she said, already crying.

Severus spanked each cheek three times with the slipper. Not enough to sting badly but enough to let her know she had moved up from her regular spanking, enough to know that stealing a wand was serious business. Her bottom was a bit pink but that would probably be gone within the hour. It stung a bit and that was new for her and her crying was a bit more real with this spanking. He stopped at six because it wasn't the spanking that was important but the idea that this was a bad naughty and she needed to know that the price was higher."

She cried for a bit as he pulled up her pants and sat her in his lap, rubbing her back and sharing comforting words. Then he told her to go to her desk and start working on her apology cards because tomorrow he would take her to deliver them to the students.

When Alice came in he shared his day and she was in shock. "We really have to get a handle on this Severus, she could really hurt someone and not even know she was doing it".

"I know, but don't overly worry. She knows now there is a high price for taking someone's wand and if she does it again I will just increase the punishment. But I really don't think she will since I will be having Mom work with her and I know Mom will be telling her every other sentence to never do anything unless we are with her and give permission. You have to remember that Harry did some really heavy magic when he was younger and is a very strong Wizard as are a few of the Companions such as Draco and Hermione. She will adapt."

****************

The rays of dawn were just starting to come through the window when Harry was woken by a gagging noise. He grabbed his wand and jumped out of bed looking around to see who was strangling who. When he jumped up then Ron came flying out of bed with his wand.

They looked around and what they found shocked them. Seamus had a plant around his throat and it was choking him to death. Both boys ran over to Seamus and started pulling the plant off of him.

About that time Neville woke up and when he saw what was happening he pulled the plant clippers out of his bag and cut the plant. It immediately lost its strength and the boys were able to get it away from Seamus.

"What in the world is that Neville?" asked Ron.

Once Dean realized that Seamus got his breath back he jumped off his bed and ran to get Professor McGonagall. She came back with him to see what exactly he was talking about when he told her that his roommates were trying to kill Seamus.

She looked at the plant then looked at Neville and asked him to explain. Neville, turning very red told her he got the plant from a Slytherin first year and was trying to raise it so he could give it to Professor Sprout. Minerva sent Dean to the Great Hall, knowing that Professor Sprout always like to eat breakfast very early and would probably already be there.

Sure enough not ten minutes later she walked into the dorm, looked at Minerva and asked, "How can I help Minerva?"

It would appear Pomona that Mr. Longbottom Snape was attempting to bring this plant back to a healthy status so that he could present it to you. But last night it wrapped itself around Mr. Finnigan's neck and tried to choke him. Can you share with us what it might be?"

Pomona looked at the plant then looked at Neville and asked, "Neville, what kind of plant did you think this was?"

Neville looked at her and said, "I thought it was a Flitterbloom".

Pomona looked at him and shook her head, "Well Neville you were close, they do look alike in a lot of ways but the Flitterbloom is non violent, where as this plant is called Devil's Snare, and it is definitely lethal."

"Oh No" whimpered Neville as he laid his head into his hands, "I should have known, oh, I should have known, it could have killed him. Are you going to expel me now?"

"You all get dressed then I want Neville and Seamus to come with me to the Head Masters office, he will have to deal with this" said Minerva shaking her head. As she was walking out of the dorm with Pomona she asked, "How hard is it to tell the difference?"

"Very difficult Minerva unless you know what to look for, even some seventh years might not be able to tell when the plant is that young" said Pomona.

"Ok, I will share that with Albus and perhaps it will help Neville's case. From what they say if Harry had not heard the gasping then Seamus might very well be dead right now. Tell me, are you going to need any student labor through detentions in the near future?"

"Yes, very much so, but not for another four weeks. Perhaps you can assign him to Severus, then I will be glad to take him for the rest of the year, that ought to carry some punishment weight don't you think Minerva?"

"I'll ask and see if Albus will accept it" said Minerva.

Severus, Alice and Neville along with Minerva, Seamus and his parents were all seated in the Head Masters office. Neville looked like he wanted to die but Seamus had recovered from his panic of a near death experience and was adjusting to being the center of attention with the students, especially the girls, so he just kept telling Neville not to worry, it could have happened to anyone.

Albus explained what happened and asked Seamus' parents if they wanted to file charges against Neville.

Surprisingly they answered "Absolutly not! We have raised a bunch of boys and there isn't anything that we have not experienced. This is actually mild compared to our youngest riding on the back of the next youngest, both thinking they could fly off the roof. Thank God for snow. No professor Dumbledore, we just wanted to make sure Seamus was Ok and to see what kind of adjustments you would make to see it didn't happen to anyone else."

With those words, the tension seemed to go out of the room and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone except Neville, who just knew that he was not going to be able to sit for a month, when his Dad finished with him.

Albus said, "Well, we will put into place a new rule that prohibits any plants in the dorms unless Professor Sprout has signed off on it. And I planned on assigning Neville twenty hours detention with Professor Severus Snape then after that he will serve detention with Professor Sprout until the end of the year. A life was in danger but it was a mistake and there was no maliciousness involved. Professor Snape can help him with a couple classes that Neville seems to be having trouble with and Professor Sprout desires to teach him more about plants since he seems to love them so much. I really feel this can be turned into a positive situation. If it meets with your approval of course."

"It all sounds good to us, now if you will allow us we would like to spend a couple hours with our son as we don't get up this way much" said the Finnigans.

Severus walked Neville out because he saw that Neville was a nervous wreck. "Lets go sit on the steps," said Severus. "Listen Neville I think the detentions are sufficient and could be very productive. You are having problems with a couple classes and I can help you out. Professor Sprout really thinks you have an aptitude for plants so that should work out for your future. I don't see any other punishment being necessary, you didn't do it purposely. It was a mistake and your detentions will be the price."

"You mean you're not going to spank me, I mean he could have died" said Neville.

"Yes and people can die every time a caldron blows up but sometimes it happens because kids are fooling around and I punish them, sometimes it is just an accident. I don't even think you would have had the detentions if you had been up to snuff on your studies and didn't need a bit of a boost with your plants. You're fine Neville, just breathe, and please ask professor Sprout first if you plan on bringing any plants home, OK?"

Neville laughed and assured his Dad that he would. With that Severus gave him the dates of his detentions which would be the same as Erica, Draco and Ginny. Severus felt that they could help Neville catch up with his studies in a less threatening way and that some healthy bonding could take place.

***********

Severus had been thinking about his need to have some alone time with his daughters. He had taken his boys out a short time back and he needed to do the same with the girls. So to make it special he arranged to take them out of their classes to accompany him to Hogsmeade.

There would be no other kids so they wouldn't be distracted and perhaps they could have some meaningful dialogue or as meaningful as Severus thought he might be able to have with two female teenagers.

The girls thought it was great, although Severus was as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof. Alice was no help what-so-ever and just laughed at his discomfort. "They love you Severus, while your discomfort might be humerous to them you can really do no wrong in their eyes and by wanting to spend some quality time with them you make them feel they are special to you" said Alice.

Severus was sooooo worried that he was going to end up in Madam Puddifoot's little tea shop. The first stop was The Three broomsticks where he bought them lunch, and they talked about everything from dueling to boys. They seemed to get a kick out of their Dad's expressions when they mentioned certain boys and their teenage attitudes. They also were very forward in asking their Dad about how boy's thought. "Does it really mean a boy likes you if he always wants to be around you but never really says anything nice?" asked Luna.

"I would assume Luna that it would depend on the boy and his motivations. Alice has talked to you about that hasn't she?" asked a blushing Severus.

"Oh yeh, we have had all that 'birds and bees' stuff" said Hermione, "But it doesn't explain some of their weird behavior."

"Boys mature slower than girls Hermione, you know that" said Severus. "Sometimes we want to express ourselves one way and we don't know how so it tends to come out sounding foreign to the situation. Just be patient and allow them to find their way through the struggling emotions that are growing inside them."

Then wanting to change the topic of conversation Severus asked them what they would like to do for the rest of the afternoon and then held his breath. After a short discussion he resumed his calm when they told him that Madam Puddifoot's was not a place that girls went with their Dad. They decided that they wanted to visits Honeydukes Sweetshop and Scrivenshaft's Quill shop for starters then if he was willing they wanted to know if he would take them up to the Haunted Mansion. While Severus was surprised, he found these were things he could do and not feel too uncomfortable.

If he had heard the talk going around town about how cute everyone thought it was that Severus had his daughters out for an afternoon trip with their Dad, he probably would have felt a lot more uncomfortable. Thankfully, those conversations were taking place behind his back and he didn't hear a word.

The girls were a bit uncomfortable at first, thinking he was going to spend the time alone asking them about the rest of the kids. Soon they realized that he legitimately just wanted to get to know them better. He asked them about hobbies and foods. He wanted to know how they were really dealing with the loss of their real parents and if they had major concerns about the Death Eaters. There were no major revelations but they all ended the afternoon knowing each other a bit better and trust levels grew to new heights.

Severus never really realized how much these girls depended on him. He knew that he provided a home for them, security and direction. He was just becoming aware of how much he loved them and how each was so different and unique.

He had no idea that they were leaning on him in such an emotional way. Subconsciously, he figured that Alice probably held that spot in their lives since she was their Mom now and better understood that aspect of their lives. To realize that they trusted and loved him no matter if he was laughing with them or disciplining them was an eye opener. It scared him a bit but it also warmed his heart, a heart that he thought might never come alive again.

As they returned to the castle the girls were laughing and joking as Severus watched them and realized that this trip had benefited him more than them.


	15. Riddle Makes A Deal

CHAPTER 15-Riddle Makes a Deal

It was Saturday and Gryffindor had a game against Slytherin. The Companions were excused from classes on Quidditch days so Harry and company were down at the pitch early.

This was a big game as Slytherin had lost their seeker when the criminals were arrested. Draco was now the new Seeker and the two brothers were looking forward to playing against each other.

Wood had been working the Gryffindors overtime and they would all be glad when this game was over and Wood would relax a bit. If they lost then they knew that things would only get worse. It was not just the desire to beat Slytherin this year, but also the desire to calm Wood down so he wouldn't kill them before they ever graduated.

Everything was great except that Wood had not shown up yet and it was almost game time. This was not like Wood so Hermione and Luna went looking for him.

They had to have a Keeper and there was no back-up for that position. Finally Harry stepped up and told the rest of them they would have to get someone to fill the job until Hermione found Wood. Ron was the only one around that they thought might be able to step into the position because of all the playing time he had with his brothers. So the game started with, Harry as Seeker and Ron as Keeper.

Ron was ultra nervous at first but then after a couple really nasty comments were made by the Slytherins, disparaging his family, Ron got his dander up. When Ron was mad, he could accomplish things he would never think of usually. After those comments not one Quaffle went through the Gryffindor hoops. Ron almost fell off his broom twice in his efforts to make saves but he managed to do a spectacular job.

Gryffindor didn't make too many hoops either so it was up to Harry to try and catch the snitch. But twenty minutes into the game, Professor McGonagall stopped the game and sent all the students to their common rooms without explanation.

This meant that neither Draco nor Harry had to bring the other his breakfast plate each morning in the Great Hall for a week. They didn't have to hold the door open for classes that they jointly attended and they didn't have to stand up and say during dinner, that the other was the best Seeker at Hogwarts.

Harry and Draco were very grateful not to have lost that game as they were really worried about how embarrassed they would be. They had become carried away with themselves one day while in front of friends and bet each other without thinking about how bad it would be if they lost.

Ron was celebrating his first game and his success but it was difficult not knowing why Wood hadn't shown up. Professor McGonagall then entered the common room and announced that Wood had been petrified and that new rules were in place for all students. They were simple rules about never going anywhere alone and earlier curfews but the students were worried.

***********

Albus was having a staff meeting to bring all the teachers up to date on the happenings at Hogwarts. Poppy and two teachers had planned to stay over Christmas so they didn't have to arrange to transfer the petrified students to St. Mungo's. The Mandrake plants had not matured as yet but were getting close.

The real problem was the creature and stopping it before the Board of Governors decided to close the school. The Board was coming on Monday to inspect the school. This was nothing special as they did it each year before Christmas so they could finalize their year end reports.

They were no closer to figuring out what the monster was or where it was as the clues seemed to be so few. They were just about ready to close the meeting when there was a knock on the door. Hermione, Harry, Draco, Neville, Ron, Ginny, Luna and the Twins all entered the office and Hermione said to Albus, "Sir, we think we have figured out what is petrifying the students."

All the teachers looked at them with a good amount of skepticism and Severus, resorting to his old snarky self for a moment responded, "The teachers and Head Master have been working on this for a couple months without finding any answers and now you think you have it figured out, please do enlighten us."

Harry was more than angry and the look he shared with his Dad spoke volumns. Severus was a bit taken back by his Son's glare as he had been worried about Harry for the past couple weeks. Harry had seemed a bit distant and very short tempered. Severus had let it go thinking it might just be his studies but his Son was getting real close to disrespectful, he couldn't help but feel that something was really bothering him.

Hermione, feeling the tension, decided to proceed with her story. "We have put together all the evidence we have witnessed and feel that it leads to only one answer. The Monster in the Chamber of Secrets has to be a Baskilisk."

With the word Baskilisk, the whole room erupted. The most used phrase was, 'ridiculous'.

Hermione continued, "We came to that conclusion because we have found out that Harry is a parselmouth. He has been hearing voices in the walls and afraid to tell anyone for fear you would think he was crazy. But when we talked about it there had been a situation with his cousin at a zoo where he had actually talked to a snake. When we explained to him what it was he felt better about talking to you. So that is why we are here now."

"He is hearing a voice in the wall saying things like, KILL, Hunger, Kill Master. Also, I checked the chicken population and Hagrid has lost all his roosters. Along with that, if you haven't noticed, all the spiders are leaving the castle. There are long lines of them heading for the forbidden forest. Spiders don't like Baskilisk's, this book says 'they flee before them'. The crow of a rooster can kill them according to the same book. Harry can understand what it is saying while we can only hear hisses, and only if we concentrate with our ears to the walls."

"Percy and I had been working on the research and I think he had it figured out and went to see if he could find the entrance."

"My dear girl" said Minerva, "While I appreciate all your hard work you are forgetting a very important detail. A Baskilisk does not petrify a person. If you looked in the eye they kill the person. Secondly a snake cannot write cryptic messages on the wall in blood."

"Yes, Professor" replied Hermione, "So far we have been very lucky because none of the students or the cat did look it in the eye. They either saw it though the reflection in a mirror or in the water that was overflowing onto the floor from the bathroom. As far as the messages go, it just means that there is a student or teacher involved in these attacks also."

All the teachers, including Albus were very silent as they absorbed what Hermione had presented to them. Then coming out of his stupor and realizing that these students had managed to figure it all out when he couldn't, Albus started to feel he was losing control and when he felt that way he habitually would yank it back to himself.

"You have done a marvelous job researching this and we will check it out and take it from here, you may return to your common rooms with our heartfelt thanks."

Harry looked at Dumbledore then at his Father, and if looks could kill both would be in early graves. "This is just not right" he said in a very low, growling voice. "This has everything to do with our lives, with my life. You are filling us full of skills so we can fight, but you refuse to tell us why or how. We are losing friends because of a bloody snake and you hush and shoo the only one who can talk to it back to his bedroom. You're manipulating our lives yet you never really talk to us. This is really not right, not right at all."

Albus lost the twinkle in his eyes and retorted, "Young man we are just looking out for your safety and are doing all that we do in your best interest. There are a lot of people expending a lot of time trying to protect and guide you. I would hope that you would show a bit more gratitude."

"Protect me from what?" asked Harry, "and I am afraid after the Dursley's and your first response to Professor Snape being my father, I really don't trust you to have my best interest at heart. Grandfather I love you very much but you have manipulated my life so much already that I find it very hard to trust you."

"Severus," responded Albus, "If you don't take your son to task, I will!"

Severus looked at Harry, at his son, and in that look Harry knew he either had an ally or he had just earned the right not to sit down until Christmas.

Severus then turned to Albus and said, "I'm sorry Dad, but the boy is right. They found the answer we were looking for and he is right in that he is the only one, that I know of, in the modern age, that can talk to snakes. While their participation has to be controlled, without it we would not get very far. If we really want to protect the rest of the student population then we need them to work with us and not against us."

Albus knew he was beaten and decided to cut his losses and follow Severus' lead in this.

"Ok, there is not much we can do at this time but start sending the students home for an early Christmas. We can talk about a plan over the holidays and hopefully by the time the students return we will have been able to rid the castle of this monster" said Albus.

***********

With that the meeting broke up and the kids went to the room of requirement so they could talk without interruption.

"I really think we need to map out the rest of those tunnels before Christmas break," said Harry, "I really think there is a lot more to those tunnels than meets the eye and we need to get to the bottom of it. We only have about half of it mapped and even then it's only those close to the castle, we still don't know where the branches end up. It would be interesting to see if there are tunnels on the other side and more importantly, any more rooms. Someone has to be working with the Basilisk, and they have to be hiding somewhere."

About that time Draco walked into the room, "Sorry I'm late but I found this book, a diary I guess, that this kid has been writing in every time I see him. He left it on the table in the common room and I was going to return it to him when I opened it and much to my surprise there is nothing written in it. Now I know he is writing, and acting really skittish around everyone."

"That's the kid I met in the library" said Neville. "He was a little guy, writing in a diary and he had this plant with him. He never let me see the inside of the diary as he shut it as soon as I sat down and asked about his plant. He told me he was going to throw it away. I remember thinking he was talking really funny, like everything was monotone with no inflection, and he never really looked at me. When I asked if I could have the plant since he was going to throw it away he asked, 'what did you say your name was?' and when I told him, he just pushed it across the table to me then stood up and left. You know now that I really think about it the whole thing feels staged, like he meant for me to have that plant."

Harry grabbed his quill and the diary and wrote on the first page to see if the ink would disappear. It did, but much to their shock a figure arose out of the book, a lot like a pensive figure that is spelled to become a three dimensional hologram so many could watch it at the same time. Harrys' scar seemed to itch like crazy then it began to hurt a bit during the presentation.

The kids were in shock because they could see a young man, probably seventh year, wearing Slytherin robes, writing his name in the air. He wrote Tom Marvolo Riddle, then looked at them, smiled, and waved his wand to scatter the letters. When they finally settled back in place they spelled, '_I Am Lord Voldemort_'.

Their second shock was that in the back ground they could see a very young student sitting on a comfortable chair, his eyes were glassed over and he was listening to what was going on. Then the picture disappeared and the writing that was left read;

"_I am rising again, and when I do Harry Potter, I will finish the job I started and you will lie with your parents, rotting in the ground. Bring me the book and I will allow the student to return to you. Just let me know through this book when you are ready." _

Everyone was in shock. Somehow Voldemort was using this book and the student to return to life. He had the student and was holding him somewhere in the castle, although they couldn't be sure it looked like the kid was still alive and well.

"Ok, said Harry, "We need to go into the tunnels and see if we can find this place. It must be deep and it must be on the lake side, did you see the water seeping in on the walls?"

"There were no windows," said the twins, "So it must be dungeon level or lower."

"Let's go to our common rooms and use the entrances there" said Ginny, "That way it won't take so long to get us all in and we can pick up our cloaks, and meet up in front of the Slytherin enterance."

With that the kids left the room, Harry grabbing the book and putting it in his pocket. He wasn't sure he would need it again, but just in case, he would have it.

They dressed comfortably, grabbed their robes and proceeded carefully down the entrances. About an hour later they all were standing outside the Slytherin entrance. The Twins had already checked the map and all the teachers and students were doing their Saturday work with none of them being in the tunnels.

"We haven't gone this way from the Slytherin entrance yet," said Ginny. "That's why I wanted us to meet down here. We have touched on a couple of other tunnels but they all tend to turn like they are curving around a space, instead of going through the space. All I can figure is that we haven't found the right tunnel or there is a room there that the tunnels are all going around."

They followed the new tunnel around the castle and then found that it too was curving at a certain point, joining up with the other tunnels. It started looking on the map like a letter "F" but with more legs coming off one side and none on the other. They started following the main corridor or the vertical pole of the "F" to see if it eventually led outside.

After, what seemed like forever, they came to a "Y" at the end of the "F". "This must be where it starts going around that special space we can't seem to find an entrance to" said Ginny.

"Let's follow the bottom of the 'Y'" said Hermione, "And see if we can find an outside entrance to get our bearings." They followed the bottom of the Y and eventually it did lead them to an outside entrance.

They saw the light first, then it started getting brighter. When they finally came to the end of it, they could see they were on the side of the castle, on the backside of the lake. They were in the middle of some mounds of ground, next to a trail that came out of the dark forest. The trail was about four feet wide and looked to be very worn down like someone used it on a regular basis.

"I think we have found out where the Basilisk exits to feed" said Draco.

"It is also a good place for an ambush" said the Twins.

Hermione got a smile on her face about the same time as Harry began to smile. "If we can lure it out here and kill it we might be in a bit of trouble but nothing like if we went into the tunnels after it," said Harry.

"Yes," said Luna, "Then with that bloody snake out of the way we can go in after Riddle and the boy."

"Exactly" replied Harry.

"There is only one problem" said Hermione. "This Basilisk is a magical creature and it will take both Draco and Harry in their animagus forms to pull it off. Draco, who as a dragon could easily kill the snake managed his change the other day and has been cleared by Professor McGonagall. But Harry, who would have to blind the beast as he is magical and flies the best, is still working on getting back into his human form."

"Perhaps we are making this more difficult than it needs to be" said Neville. "Didn't you say that the crow of a rooster could kill the bloody thing?"

Hermione looked at him like he had just stepped on one of her precious books.

"Well we need to get back to the castle right now, dinner is in a few minutes and if we miss it they might get worried and come looking for us" said Hermione.

With that they started working their way around the lake and back to the castle. Erica met up with them when they were getting close to the castle but still out of view. "Where in the world have you guys been? All the teachers and your parents", she said looking at the Weasley's, have been looking everywhere for you. You better get up to the castle quick they seem to really be upset."

Herminone looked at Erica and said, "What you see now you will forget, UNDERSTAND?"

Erica looked at her and smiled saying, "Yes".

With that Hermione changed all their clothes into sweats, dirty sweats, even covering a couple of them with mud. Then she added some dirt to their face and hands, and messed up their hair.

"Alright Erica, you can go tell them you found us in the fitness area and we are on our way back to the castle. All that is true so I am not asking you to lie" Hermione smiled.

Erica returned her smile and said, "I'm on my way."

When they arrived back at the castle they presented quite a picture of sweaty, hardworking, students who had been putting in their time on the Fitness Course. The Adults were working very hard to change from mad to glad. Thankfully none of them had thought to look around the Fitness Center as they didn't think the students would volunteer to work out on a weekend.

"Hi Dad" said Hermione to Severus as she entered the foyer.

"Hello, it looks like you have all been pretty busy" said Severus.

"Yeh, pretty busy and dirty" replied Harry, "We going to get cleaned up and get to dinner. Erica said you were looking for us? Is there something up?"

"We just wanted to give you a heads up that Minister Cornelius Fudge along with Madame Amelia Bones and a couple members of the School Board will be here soon to do their inspection. So please behave!" said Severus.

"I thought they weren't coming until Monday?" asked Hermione.

"Yes, well they changed their minds and just notified us that they will be here soon" answered Severus.

"Of course we will behave, don't we always?" smirked Harry.

"Less cheek young man, less cheek" smiled Severus.

The kids looked at each other like they had just dodged a bullet and Hermione looked like she had died and gone to heaven.


	16. Taking Riddle Down

CHAPTER 16-Taking Riddle Down

Madam Bones, Minister Fudge and two representatives from the Board of Governors were sitting at the head table enjoying their meal.

"Professor Dumbledore" said Madam Bones, "The Board of Governors wished to close the school immediately but we have persuaded them to give you until the fifteenth of January to take care of the problem. This is contingent upon sending the student's home tomorrow morning. I have scheduled the train to be here at eleven and as of right now, not to return until the fifteenth. The return date is subject to change. You have shared with me that there are two teachers and a healer willing to stay at Hogwarts to take care of those who have been petrified and to nurture the Mandrake plants. We think it would be a good idea to place a rooster or two in the infirmary and the residence hall where the teachers will be staying."

Albus looked at Madame Bones and realized that he had to accept quickly because she had arranged this deal but the Minister was not happy at all. He wanted to close down the school in an effort to discredit Dumbledore and he didn't care who he hurt in the process. Dumbledore nodded his head and before the Minister could speak a word, stood up to address the students. He announced that they would be leaving for home the next morning and that sixth and seventh years would help the younger students by sending a patronus or owl to their parents letting them know about the change.

He would also arrange for foster families for those who had no home to go to so that they would not be left in the castle during Christmas.

The Companions all looked at each other, wondering what that meant for them. It was still two weeks before Christmas and from what Dumbledore was saying, the students would not be returning until the fifteenth of January. They would just wait, sure of the fact, that there would be a family meeting tonight to let them know where they would be staying.

Hermione had a project she had to complete tonight but she didn't want to share with anyone what it was. Even thought she could not share she still needed their help so she asked Harry and Neville to scoot closer. Draco, wanting to know what was going on, scooted in also so he could hear.

"Listen you guys, I have a project that I am planning for the future and I need your help. We will go up to talk to Madam Bones and the Minister so that Harry can wish them both a Happy Holiday."

Harry gave her a dirty look then said, "There is no way I will be wishing that Minister a happy holiday."

Hermione looked at him and said, "If you want your plan to make a recovery of that certain object to work, you will!"

Harry looked at her then surrendered, "Ok, I'll do it, but it had better be worth it in the end!"

"Oh, it most certainly will be" replied Hermione.

"Now; while Harry is sharing his holiday cheer, Neville and I will spot lint on the shoulders of the Minister and Madam Bones. While you are wiping off the lint Neville, make sure you pick off a few hairs. I am making a collection of hairs for later when we are ready to take on Voldemort. I already have the five boys who were arrested and many of the staff that work here. Now I really need hairs from these two people."

Neville looked at her like she was crazy, but then said, "Hermione at times I think you're nuts but it always works out to the good, so I'm with you. Which one do you want me to steal hair from?"

"You take the Minister, because you're taller, and I'll take Madam Bones" said Hermione. "Now let's go before they leave and we miss our opportunity. And for you're your information Draco, I'm only leaving you out because of the situation between your blood father and the Minister. I don't think it would be healthy or safe for you to get too close to him."

"You're probably right Hermione," said Draco. "If he thought he could get his hands on me he would probably give it a try. I'll just sit back and watch!"

With that they stood up and made their way to the group of teachers all giving their last greetings to the Minister and his group. Harry began his holiday greetings and the other two stepped up to the plate and cleaned up the two leaders, letting them know they couldn't have their leaders walking around with ashes and such on their shoulders. Nobody from the Minister's group thought much about the incident but Severus was very, very suspicious.

Why in the world would Harry even want to speak to a Minister who he greatly disliked? What in the world was this crazy talk about cleaning up their leaders so that they could be proud of their appearance? Something very suspicious was going on and he needed to get to the bottom of it.

Why, Oh why, did they teach these kids how to block their minds? There was no way he would be able to tap in without them knowing. He would wait and he would find out, one way or another.

Hermione bagged up her samples, with a sigh of relief, and headed to her room. She was stopped in the foyer by her Mom letting her know that there would be a family meeting in fifteen minutes in the Great Hall. She asked Hermione to help pass the word and head on back.

Hermione was a bit puzzled as to why they would hold a family meeting in the Great Hall instead of the residence but complied with her mother's wish and started spreading the word. When she finally arrived back at the Great Hall she quickly understood why. Not only were the Snapes there but the Weasley's and Dumbleore's along with Sirius and Erica, Lupin and Tonks.

Severus asked for quiet then started explaining what was going to take place at Christmas. "We are going to go with Harry's wishes and turn Potter Manor into Snape Manor. Since our home was destroyed this will serve as a replacement for us to call home. Alice and I took our House Elfs and visited the Manor last week. It is quite large and we will have no problem being comfortable even with the size of our family and that includes Grandma and Grandpa Dumbledore. This Christmas we are also opening our home to the Weasley's as their home is not safe and we consider them our very close friends and just as good as family. Now some of you boys will have to double up but like I said there is a lot of room and we have posted the room assignments on each of the bedroom doors. So when you get there the first game will be to find your bedroom."

"Sirius, Erica, Lupin and Tonks will also be joining us also for the holidays."

"The problem is that the Manor will not be ready for a few days yet. We will stay here as we have some planning to do if we want to keep the school open and you kids can finish your holiday homework. That way when we get to the Manor all you have to worry about is playing. So help your friends pack up and then tomorrow you can see them off."

Severus continued, "Once the castle is empty we want you all to come to the library to do your homework. That way we will have you all in one place and can check on you. Also; you will have all the reference books you need and will not have to roam around the castle. You will work on homework all morning and in the afternoon until two. After than you can have some free time. You are not to go into any dangerous areas and you will go nowhere alone. You will not leave Hogwarts grounds and will not go outside after dark. You will attend all meals in the Great Hall. Are there any questions?"

Molly remained in the Library each day to help the students and Cassy with their work. Albus and the rest of the adults would be planning on how to find, capture, and hopefully save the child from the monster.

The kids were fuming. Not one of the parents or teachers had taken the time to talk with then about what was happening much less asking them to help out. Once again they felt pushed aside and after coming up with answers that the adults couldn't come up with they didn't feel it was fair at all.

While walking back to the common room from the library one afternoon they once again found the water running down the stair ledges like waterfalls. So once again they trudged up the stairs to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom to shut off the faucets.

They all walked in ready to spread out and turn off all the water outlets but Harry happened to walk by one of the sink faucets and noticed that no water was coming out of it. When he looked closer he found a small emblem of a snake on the faucet and it set him to wondering if this might not be part of the answer they were looking for. How was the great snake getting into the Castle.

When everything was quiet, Harry turned to Myrtle and asked, "Myrtle, how did you die?"

Myrtle did not have much company and was very lonely, so anyone trying to talk with her was welcome, especially if they wanted to talk about her.

"I was killed about fifty years ago. I was in this very bathroom, crying when I heard some strange noise and looked to see who it was. All I remember is seeing two giant yellow eyes, right about where you're standing, and then I died."

"Hey you guys" said Harry, "I think I have found the entrance."

They all came over to him and he pointed to the faucet and said, "There's a snake on that faucet but none on any of the other faucets. Also, no water comes out of this one but does come out of all the others."

"Use your snake voice" said Ron, "Tell it to open."

Harry stared at the faucet then using Parseltongue he told it to 'open'. They all heard a grinding and a rumbling, then the whole sink unit began to open up revealing a large entrance hole in the center, going down into the bowels of the castle.

Harry stepped back and decided to take a moment to think this out. "Ok, you guys we can't just jump in there without putting a few plans in place. Hermione, can you transfigure a rooster?"

"Yes Harry, I've been practicing that particular transfiguration thinking we might need it. Although I think it would be better if more than one of us were able to do it" said Hermione.

"We can do it also" said the Twins.

"So can I" said Draco.

"I can too" said Ginny.

"Well I guess that takes care of that problem," said Hermione.

About that time Ron spoke up saying, "Listen, we need to cover this at both ends. There is no way we are going to come out of this without being in trouble for something so let's make sure what we do counts for something. Harry will have to lead some of us down this entrance because we don't know if parseltongue might not be needed again before we get to the bloody snake. We also need to transfigure and tie a rope on this end so we can get back out if needed."

"Also, we need some of us to get our parents and lead them to the other end of the tunnel in case the snake tries to make a run for it. Draco, you, Luna and Ginny can create roosters and you represent two of the families so I think it would be best if you led them to the exit the snake uses to feed and wait for it."

Harry just gaped at Ron! "Where did all that come from Ron?" asked Harry.

"I don't know, I guess I've been thinking about it for awhile. I mean, we all knew this was coming but we never sat down and planned on what we would do when the time came" said Ron.

"We also have to think about how to blind it. Those eyes can kill us so it's a priority to take them out of the equation. You know that maneuver we use in dueling, where we are all grouped together and we send out a mass of hexes at the same time just hoping to hit something and clearing a path for ourselves? Well we can do the same thing with the blinding hex. That is the one they taught us to use with Dragons. If we all group together, keep our eyes closed and do that hex in mass we just might luck out and blind it. Then we can either kill it or it will run for an exit."

"If it runs for the exit then you Twins need to run after it. You are best at throwing hexes that don't kill but just irritate. Those should keep it moving and when it gets outside then our parents should be able to kill it once the snake is gone and kill Riddle then Neville and Erica, you guys take the young boy and get him up to Madam Pomfrey" said Ron.

"Meanwhile" said Hermione, "The rest of us need to stay inside and try to get rid of Voldeshorts. Somehow we have to kill that book Harry, it looks like he is getting his essence from the book and blending it with the boy's life force then creating himself all over again in the likeness of what he looked like fifty years ago."

"The book is called a Horcrux" said Hermione. I have been researching it ever since we heard the word thrown about casually. Dumbledore looked at me then looked away quickly, so I knew he was worried that I had caught the word and would look into it. I acted like I didn't hear it but I did. Once this problem is over, we have a bigger one to take care of but I'll share that with you later."

"Well, I guess we had better get to it before someone walks in here and decides to close it up and hold more meetings about it", said Harry.

With that Ginny, Draco and Luna headed off to get the parents, and the rest of them transfigured a rope, tied it off and then headed down the entrance which turned into a slimy slide. It deposited them in the snake dump it would seem. They looked around and found nothing but old bones and left over dinners. As they progressed down the cave they came across a large snake skin that had been sloughed off during the last shedding of the snake.

The cave seemed to be very near the lake as water was seeping through the cracks and mold was growing everywhere. They came to a second door that was closed and seemed to be guarded by numerous metal snakes built into it. Harry took a look at the door then told it to 'open' using parseltongue. It took a moment but then they heard a creaking and the snakes came alive and the door slowly opened.

When they looked through the door and into the cavern they were in awe. The carvings of snakes and the large head of Slytherin made for quite a spectacle. As they started walking down the center isle they saw the young boy laying on the floor, he looked dead. They rushed over to him then they saw Riddle coming out of one of the side rooms. He was not human yet, in fact you could still see through him as he resembled a ghost more than a human. The young boy that Draco told them was named Blane, looked like he might be dead but he was still breathing.

"I am so glad you could make it Harry" said Riddle. "I see you felt the need to bring a bunch of scum with you but they will be of little help." About then Hermione shot a hex at him but it had no effect and he just laughed.

"I think it's time you met my Pet Harry" and about that time the mouth of the statue started opening and the kids knew what that meant, the snake would soon show itself.

"Ok, turn your back to the statue and get prepared" said Harry.

They turned their backs, made two lines so that when they turned there would be shots coming from a joined center at two heights. They curved at the corners slightly as to keep the shots compact. They would turn slowly, while shooting, until they heard sounds of pain telling them that the hexes were hitting something.

Soon they heard a sound like a snake slithering across rock. They knew the serpent was near. Harry told them to "hold off, hold off, hold off...............shoot!" With that they turned, keeping their eyes shut, they shot the blinding hexes until they heard a loud mournful scream. They kept shooting like there was no tomorrow and finally they heard another moan.

The great bloody snake was writhing around in pain but they had no way of knowing if they had been successful and shot both eyes.

Then they heard a sound that sounded like a very angry Fawkes. From the sounds they knew that Fawkes was attacking the snake and from the sounds the snake was making, Fawkes was winning. Soon it was quiet then they heard the snake again but it sounded like it was getting further away.

Harry took the chance and opened his eyes. He looked at the water reflection to see if he could see the snake. It was taking a chance but at least it wouldn't kill him only petrify him. The snake had no eyes and was turning to head toward the statue. Harry told the rest of them to open their eyes and then the Twins took off after the snake, hexing it to keep it moving.

"Well", said Harry, "we have walked into a passel of trouble now but there is no turning back, the folks are all going to be sooooooo mad."

Now; All he had to worry about turning into a phoenix so that he could kill the book. He wasn't real sure how this part was supposed to happen and it was one of the weak points in their plan. But; as he looked around he saw one of the fangs from the Baskilisk lying on the ground. It must have been knocked out with all the hexes. It would seem that someone was using more than blinding hexes.

He picked it up and took a closer look at it. He could see the poison dripping out of the end of it then he wondered. He looked over at Hermione and she at him and they both had the same thought at the same time. He took out the book and stabbed it with the fang.

The Riddle, who was starting to look a bit more solid started screaming and fading fast. Harry was encouraged and began stabbing it again and again. Riddle started fading faster, exploded, and was gone.

Neville and Erica grabbed the boy and headed back to the entrance, it was their job to get him to Madam Pomfrey and they were on their way.

Ron, Harry and Hermione decided to take a look around to see if there were any more surprises. They figured that their friends and parents would soon be with them and there would be no time then to take a look.

They all used the phrase 'Voldemort Open' all around the cavern and finally struck pay dirt on the right side of the statue of Slytherin.

A doorway opened up and it looked like a library inside. They both walked in and started checking out the books.

Hermione looked like she had died and gone to heaven. "Harry" she said, do you realize how old these books are?"

Harry was looking at the swords and knives, some of which looked like they had to be hundreds of years old. Hermione grabbed a couple books she saw then she grabbed Harry and dragged him out of the small office. "Tell it to close Harry, quick before our folks get here."

Harry closed the entrance and then looked at Hermione. She caught his look and said, "Harry we need to spend some time in that library. I really think it might have some answers for us. If Dumbledore sees it we will never see any of those books or weapons again" said Hermione.

Harry knew she was right, why did life have to be so difficult? Why couldn't his grandfather not be so wrapped up in himself and think about the feelings of others once in a while? It would be so much easier if they could all just work together in all these dangerous projects instead of making them even more dangerous.


	17. Thar' Be Snakes

CHAPTER 17-Thar' Be Snakes

Harry, Hermione and Ron decided to rest. They slid down the wall, in the chamber of secrets, and sat, waiting for their parents to show up.

**************

Ginny, Draco and Luna ran to find their parents. They seemed to be spread out all over the castle. Once they rounded them up in the Great Hall Draco explained the basics of what was happening and told them that they had to move fast if they were going to catch the Baskilisk when it came out of its hole.

Severus was not about to just run off to some snake hole and had questions to ask. But common sence took over and he knew, from the looks on their faces, this was not the time or place to ask.

His kids had grown tired of waiting on the adults to take care of things and had taken things into their own hands. As angry as he might be over the whole situation, he still understood why they would feel they had to act. It was kids who were being petrified, not adults, and it would be kids who would eventually die if something wasn't done, most likely not adults. He was thinking these things as he followed Draco, Ginny and Luna around the lake to a place where they said that the Baskilisk was going to exit the bowels of the castle.

"The snake is going to be blind by the time it gets to us" said Draco.

"How can you be sure of that?" asked Minerva.

"Because if it was healthy it wouldn't feel the need to run and anyway, I trust the ones who are assigned the job of blinding it" said Ginny.

When they arrived at the exit point Severus, along with the others, was amazed. It was obvious that a great snake had used this spot to enter and exit the castle for a very, very long time. How had this spot been missed?

They had purposely not informed Albus as Severus, Sirius, Lupin and Minerva wanted to take care of this problem, once and for all, in order to save the school.

They were not sure what kind of maneuvering Albus might try in order to make himself the center of attention. He so badly wanted to be needed by the powers- that- be that he was purposely creating situations that put him in the middle of the drama.

They all knew that perhaps he could no longer help himself and that it had just become a way of life, him being the world's savior, and he couldn't change. But they could change things for him and this time they definitely would take steps to make sure that happened.

Draco looked at his Dad and said, "Ron thought that if two of you stood on the top of the hole that the snake comes through then perhaps you could use that really neat cutting curse that you know. We are all still having trouble with it but if you use it then you should be able to slice the head right off that monster."

"Yeh," said Ginny, "I know you are having trouble trusting us about the eyes but if you stand up there then the snake can't see you and you can cut its head off before he even knows you are there. Also, Professor McGonagall and a couple of us can transfigure roosters to crow when it comes out. This would just be a backup to insure that it dies. This way nobody has to look at it, the snake is confined in the hole for a period of time, and the attackers are out of sight but in a position to cause mortal damage."

Severus stared at them, shook his head, then turned to Sirius and said, "You and I can handle the top and the cutting curse."

Sirius nodded his head and the two of them climbed to the top of the exit. "I want you kids out from in front of that hole, just in case" said Severus.

The kids smiled then moved to the side of the hole and joined with Minerva in transfiguring some roosters. Soon they heard a slithering sound and they knew that the snake was nearing the exit. They signaled the two men on top of the exit then put a silencing charm around the roosters until they needed them.

Soon Severus saw the tip of the nose of the snake edge its way out of the exit. He had not been prepared for the size of the snake. If that was just the nose of the creature, how big must it be? Not long afterwards the eyes became visible and it was clear that they had indeed been blasted and no longer were functioning. They raised their wands, waiting for the entire head to exit the hole and when it did they cast the cutting curse which literally sliced the head right off the body of the snake.

They could feel the ground shake as the body of the snake reacted to the loss of its head. The head did not move, but fell over on its side with its mouth open displaying all the fangs and teeth that were so dangerous.

Once Severus was convinced that the snake was dead he levitated it out of the exit and laid it off to the side of the hole. He was totally unprepared for what he saw. It had to be hundreds of years old and would provide fodder for potions for years to come, the value of which was unimaginable.

Draco pulled Severus out of his trance and said, "Come on dad, we need to get in there and check on the rest of them and Riddle!"

Severus saw the worried look on his son's face and took off at a trot down the tunnel. They went for what seemed to be forever before they met up with the Twins who had been hexing the snake to keep it moving.

They let the Twins know that the snake was dead and then they all headed back to the chamber. Soon they saw a light, so they slowed down, not knowing what they might be walking into.

Severus and Sirius took the point, telling the rest of them to only come forward when they were signaled to move. The men crept from pillar to pillar, leapfrogging each other for safety, until they came to the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets. There they found Harry, Hermione and Ron sitting on the floor, with their backs against the wall.

Harry looked up when he heard a sound coming from the mouth of the Slytherin Statue. He saw his Dad peeping out from behind one of the corners.

"Come on in, Riddle is dead and it's over with" said Harry.

They all entered the Cavern and got their first look at the majestic Chamber of Secrets. "Where is the boy that was taken" asked Minerva.

"Neville and Erica took him to the infirmary" said Hermione. "We think he is going to be Ok, he was unconscious but breathing and his vitals seemed to be normal".

Severus looked down and saw a book with a snake fang sticking out of it. "That was the Horcrux" said Harry. "I stabbed it with the poisoned fang and Riddle just exploded in a mass of fire like embers, then he just disappeared. I think he is gone and we hope that the life force he was stealing from the boy will go back to the boy, but we won't know for sure until we can get to the infirmary and check on him."

Severus just stared at Harry and the kids. They had known about 'horcruxes', they found the entrance to the Chamber, they killed this form of Riddle, they somehow blinded the snake, they saved the young boy and God knows what else they did.

His anger at their disobedience, their putting themselves in harms way, the thought that he could have lost them, was only surpassed by how proud he was of their achievements. He was not sure how he was going to balance the two emotions but he didn't have to worry about that right now, thank goodness.

Harry watched the different looks that crossed his fathers face and knew that he was proud of them but that he would also have to punish them for what they did. It was the hard part yet the good part that he loved about his father. Dad was a man of his word! If he promised you an ice cream cone then, as silly as it might seem, he would walk a hundred miles in order to honor his word. And if he promised you he would tan your hide if you put 'that hide' in danger, then he would walk a hundred miles in order to honor that word also. Harry could always count on his dad, no matter what other people might say or promise, his dad always, always, kept his word. His Dad would never lie to him.

He guessed that all the kids knew what was in store for them, as all their parents would be having the same conflict. But they also knew that they really felt they had no choice in the matter, this madness had to be stopped and the boy had to be saved if they could pull it off............and they did. They would take their punishment but they would never be sorry for what they did and that would be the hard part for the parents.

"Lets go up to the infirmary so we can get you lot checked out and check on the boy" said Severus. He put his arm around Draco and Harry and as he pushed them on ahead he said, "You guys lead the way."

Harry led them back through the serpent door, telling the snakes to not bit the people that were with him as they were friends. They retraced their steps through the cavern and passed the shed off snake skin. Severus just stared at the skin, knowing just how much money it was worth and how many ancient potions could once again be brewed. It had been centuries since Baskilisk skin and body parts had been available and there were many healing potions that could now be brewed.

They came to the slide entrance and, using the rope, Severus told them to stay put. "Once I climb the rope then I want all of you to step up and hold on to it" then he pulled himself up into the girls bathroom. Once he was up there he cast a charm on the rope and it began coming up through the hole with all the adults and kids attached to it. Once they were all in the bathroom they headed toward the infirmary.

When they reached the infirmary, well one could say that their smell reached the infirmary first, then, the gang walked in. Poppy began scanning each of them immediately. She healed scrapes and burns, cuts and scratches, but no one was badly hurt besides the young boy who had arrived earlier.

Severus and Sirius walked over to the boy and immediately Severus recognized him. "That's Blane, Blane Blanchard. He is a Slytherin, first year. He has no family and came to us from an orphanage near London. He is a really good kid although rather skiddish and shy from abuse I think."

Sirius looked at the boy, and if he didn't know different he would have sworn that the boy was his brother when he was a youngster. "You know it hurts my heart that there are so many kids at Hogwarts that have no family. Why hasn't Albus done something about it all? There are plenty of wizard families out there that would love to take in these kids, yet here they are, sitting at the castle during Christmas and then trudging back to their orphanages for the summer. It is a real shame, especially when we could do so much if we just put some effort and compassion into it."

"Sirius" said Minerva, "He is my husband and I will love him to my death, but that doesn't mean that I agree with him. He is locked into the politics of the wizard world and one little homeless child is not going to attract his attention. All we can do is pick up the little ones who are drawn into Albus's world and see if we can do something to help them out."

"Well, I can definitely try and help this one out" said Sirius. "If he makes it through all this I mean to add him to my family. You all seem to be growing yours from throw aways and they are all very fine kids. I think Erica and I can handle a small addition to our family, what do you think Erica?"

"I think so Uncle Sirius, he doesn't look like he eats much" she laughed.

"Sirius, becoming Guardian to two Slytherin kids............who could have ever imagined it?" smiled Severus.

Sirius just gave him a smirk and a grunt.

Poppy came over and said, "He will be just fine. His life force seemed to be half drained from him. Neville and Erica explained to me why so we just watched him. All of a sudden about an hour ago his skin color started getting healthy, his functions started acting normal, and I think he will wake up soon as his brain activity is almost at normal range."

"That must have happened when I killed Riddle by stabbing the book" said Harry. "I'm sure glad that the life force is coming back to him. I don't understand all this magic stuff but once in a while it seems to work out for the good."

"Well, one thing is for certain" said Severus, "We all stink badly." Everyone go tot the showers or bath. After we smell better, go to the Great Hall and I will arrange for us to have a meal then we can all meet in Professor McGonagall's office as we have a lot to discuss.

The kids all went to the tower baths while the adults went to their respective residences. Severus took a quick shower then sat down to talk with his wife about the situation. Alice had been watching Cassy and waiting patiently for him to return.

Severus was trying to keep her out of the physical stuff of teaching and watching the kids as she was really starting to show. Having twins didn't look like it was going to be any fun for her and he wished there was something he could do to lighten her burden.

She just laughed at him when he got this way. "There is much you can do. First just love me as I get fatter and fatter. Secondly; try and keep up with our brood. I know they are a handful but I just can't seem to stay ahead of them right now. Once the twins are born I will have my running legs back but right now I am a turtle" she laughed.

That is exactly what he had attempted to do, stay ahead of their brood. This time he had failed miserably. Alice knew he felt bad about it, thinking he should have known the signs were there.

They were always into something, busy at something secret, Harry's temperament lately. It all added up to something going on that they were all vested in. For the life of him he never thought it was this big.

Alice just poured him a very short drink, sat in his lap, and hugged him. "You can never keep up with that many great minds Severus. Our kids are smart, compassionate, full of boundless energy and trouble magnets. Let's face it, there is no way we can know what they are up to every second of the day. That is why we try to teach them to make good choices, because we can't always be there to make those choices for them. Sometimes they make good ones, and sometimes they don't. Your problem is that you know if you were one of them you would have done the same thing but you are not one of them, you are their father and you have to punish them for what they did. They know that Sev" and with that she kissed him.

Alice continued, "I don't know how you're going to work it out Sev but I only have one wish. I want our Christmas to be without drama and punishment. Whatever you're going to do to them please do it before or after Christmas. It is a very special time and I am very, very pregnant and very, very, emotional right now. I WANT MY CHRISTMAS WITH MY FAMILY TO BE A FAIRY TALE CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR!"

"Yes Dear" replied Severus. No other answer was appropriate and none given.

He talked about a couple of options and they decided on one so he smiled at her and said, "Shall we go to lunch?"

When Severus arrived in the Great Hall everyone seemed to be there already. The adults seemed to be on one end of the tables discussing something while the kids were at the other trying very hard not to have a food fight.

Minerva had filled in Albus on the events of the day and he was sulking in his big chair. Severus was sure he would have a few caustic remarks for him but he was determined not to get into it with his dad today. Mom could deal with him and his problems, he just didn't have the time or the motivation.

When the adults finished they began to wander toward Minerva's classroom. Severus told the kids to have a second desert or something but wait about thirty minutes before they came to Professor McGonagall's office as the parents and teachers had a few things to discuss.

Severus first explained to everyone the whole story and how it ended. Sirius gave Albus a couple dirty looks as he shared that he would be putting in adoption papers for Blane.

"So how are you going to handle it Severus" asked Arthur, "Because I feel like I am being drawn in two directions."

"I know how you feel Arthur" said Severus. "Alice and I talked about it and the one thing that she had made very clear to me is that whatever we do, we do it before or after Christmas as she wants a drama free Christmas with her family and I intend to do my best to see that she gets it. And that includes you Dad!"

Molly spoke up and said, "Arthur, I have to agree with Alice. I want a perfect Christmas with all my kids. Madam Pomfrey says that the Mandrake juice will be ready tomorrow, sooner than they thought it would. That means that Percy will be with us as will Bill and Charlie who are coming home. Also I have to share with you Arthur that one of us really messed up. My hormones have been going wild so I went to the doctor. Arthur, I am pregnant AGAIN! Would you believe Twin Girls this time."

"Heaven help us" said Arthur, who was very white in the face and looked as though he was going to pass out.

"So I want a very nice, traditional, fun-filled, Christmas with family and extended family. What ever you are going to do to the kids it will have to be before or after Christmas", said Molly.

Everyone just sat there with their mouths open. "Well, I guess I need to offer up congratulations Molly" said Minerva. "I know you were a bit lonely in that big house what with all the kids in school, but don't you think the cure was a bit drastic?" laughed Minerva.

"Yes, at first I was in shock, but now I am kind of getting used to the idea" said Molly. "I don't think Arthur is going to adjust quite as quickly though" she said laughing.

"Well there seems to be an agreement about Christmas so what Alice and I have agreed upon is this. Our kids will be getting a 'proper tanning' sometime during the day tomorrow, as I have time to get to it. This will cover all the different rules they seem to have broken by doing what they did."

Severus continued, "There will be no punishments during the Christmas Holidays, we just want the kids to have a wonderful Christmas and be able to play which they can at Snape Manor.

But when we return to Hogwarts they will be grounded for a month.

"They will also be spending four hours each Saturday morning, with Filch cleaning all the Hogwarts bathrooms. I also plan on taking all the kids with me when we chop up and process all the Baskilisk body parts along with the skin. There are tons of potions that have not been brewed for centuries because these products were not available. One of them Remus, was the beginning of a cure for Werewolves. It was the only one that showed any promise but they had to stop testing because of lack of product. I can now pick up where they left off and see what we can do. No promises but one can always hope."

"Now I can't tell you how to handle your kids but we just ask that you don't punish them for this while at the manor. Now that's not to say that they won't get into other trouble, we all know they are magnets for it, but for this situation we ask it not be brought up if that's Ok with you all?"

"That sounds like a good idea to me Severus. I also have time problems and like you a lot of kids to punish, so your idea works for me" said Arthur.

"I can go along with that Sev" said Sirius.

"Good then instead of announcing punishment for the kids, like we did during the summer, let's each of us just talk with them in our homes. Right now I just want them to tell us how in the world they pulled this off" said Severus.

With that they invited the kids to come in.


	18. Good And Bad At The Same Time

CHAPTER 18-Good And Bad At The Same Time

The kids were a bit confused but just went with the program. They had been called into the classroom and asked to tell their story. Hermione was still the best story teller so they asked her to speak for them. When she finished there were a number of questions but overall it went better than Harry had expected it to.

They had been able to keep it quiet about the various secret passages and their using the ears to listen to the meetings in the Order room, or the accumulation of hair that Hermione was collecting.

Most everything else came out in one form or another. Harry knew that his Dad would be asking the most questions and he did, constantly digging and eventually gathering all the information, or at least he thought he had all the information. Harry knew he had enough to take all of them to task so they just stayed quiet and followed their parents to the residence where they were supposed to have a family meeting.

Once everyone was seated then Severus began. "First off none of this is up for debate so don't even try. Your mother and I are very proud of you for what you did. You used your training to think it out. You killed the Riddle Horcrux, the Baskilisk, and you saved the boy. What you didn't do was to come to us and share your concerns, plans and knowledge. We are the parents, you are the kids. Harry, I even supported you in front of your grandfather so you should have known I would listen. We might have done things a bit differently but you knew better than to think I would just sit here and do nothing with one of my baby snakes down in that hole dying."

Severus's voice was rising as he talked and he knew he needed to chill for a few minutes. Alice picked up on this and took over for a few minutes. "We can understand your mistrust of your Grandfather, God knows he has given us all enough reason not to trust him in matters like this. But your Father has never given you reason to distrust him, has he?"

"No" they all answered. They knew they should have pulled their dad into but they knew that the Weasley's did not trust him yet so they had decided not to.

"It was because of the Weasley's and Black not trusting anyone wasn't it? asked Severus.

"Yes Sir" answered Harry, looking at his shoe laces. His dad deserved better than this but it was all he could give right now.

"Ok, your mother and I have talked it out and this is what is going to happen. This afternoon we will be taking you to Hogsmeade to finish your Christmas shopping since you haven't had a chance up to now. Then you will pack your bags except for two sets of clothes and one pair of night clothes. We will be leaving for Snape Manor the day after tomorrow for the Christmas holidays.

You will all stay in the residence except for meals and the library for study. As I have time tomorrow I will call each of you in turn to the study and we will take care of the business of blistering your backsides."

Severus continued, "During the Christmas Vacation there will be no punishment. It is very important to your mother and I that we have a very calm, fun filled, traditional holiday season. We just want you to have your first Christmas together to be memorable and enjoyable. There is a Quidditch pitch on the property as well as many hills and sleds. There is a game room and yes Hermione a library."

"Now" added Severus, "When we return to Hogwarts after Christmas, you will all be grounded for a month. You will spend four hours on Saturday morning with Filch, cleaning all the Hogwarts bathrooms. You will be assisting me in processing the Baskilisk for potion making.

Do you have any questions?"

"None, Good then here is your Christmas spending money and you need to go to your rooms and get ready to go to Hogsmeade. We will leave in about twenty minutes and will meet you by the front steps of the castle." With that said, Severus went to his room.

Cassy ran after her father and grabbed on to his leg. Severus looked down at her thinking she was playing with him but was shocked to see big tears coming down her cheeks. He reached over and picked her up asking, "What's wrong little one?"

"I was good Daddy, she whispered, I didn't do anything wrong, why are you going to spank me?" asked Cassy, crying.

"Oh, Cassy" Severus said while hugging her and looking at her mother smile. "You have been a good girl, lately at least, and I am not going to spank you, just the older kids. They were not so good and earned themselves a good spanking."

"I'm sure glad Daddy, cus I been trying real hard to be good so Father Christmas won't change his mind and will still come to visit us" said Cassy.

"I am very sure he will be there Cassy, I even sent him our change of address so he could find us. And if he doesn't get there by a certain time I promise to send Dobby to find him, OK?"

"Ok, daddy" she said with a smile on her face. "Can I go to Homeade with you?" asked Cassy.

"Yeppers, little one, you have to do your Christmas shopping too, don't you?"

"YESSSSSSS SIRRRRR" she said as she wiggled to get down and go find her coat.

The older kids were first to arrive at the stairs in front of the castle. They all looked like they were in a daze. "Definitely too much information" said Harry.

"I agree" said a very worried Hermione. "We all knew it was coming but knowing it is tomorrow makes my stomach feel funny.

"Yeh, but it's nothing that he hadn't promised would happen to us if we did what we did. The problem is that he never backs down from his word and he remembers everything he says to a person. I guess that is a good thing – bad thing. We like it when its good and he says he will take care of us but when that care means a burning bum we are not so sure we like it."

"You're right" said Luna. "He scares me when he says he is going to spank me but I know I made the decision not him. I have to be mad at myself for doing what I did or be Ok with it and just take my licks."

"Well at least we don't have to worry during the holidays. We will have three fun filled weeks in the snow, free from this Riddle and snake stuff. I plan on enjoying every minute of it" said Draco.

"I figure I walked into a situation that could have easily killed me so I shouldn't be complaining about a situation that I know I will live through, although I will be a bit sore, but alive" said Neville.

"I agree" said Harry, "Let's enjoy the time we have. I have never had a Christmas with a mom, dad, and a whole mess of brothers and sisters not to mention a ton of friends. This ought to be the best!!!"

Severus, who had stopped to listen, continued out the front doors, confident that He and Alice had made the right decision about Christmas.

When they arrived in Hogsmeade they were surprised that everyone else seemed to have the same idea. The Weasleys were using this time to finish their shopping as were the Blacks.

Albus and Minerva were walking around in the snow, hand in hand. Albus seemed to have come to terms with what had taken place and according to Minerva he was learning how to be happy just dealing with the politics and leaving the rest of it to those better equipped to handle it. The old adage of a good leader needs not do everything just surround themselves with those who can, was beginning to blossom in Albus.

The kids had their money and split up to do their shopping only stopping in to see mom and dad if they needed ideas or, of course, more money. As they talked with each other they found out that all the parents had agreed that Christmas was to be a free time and nothing but fun and games was allowed.

They were all getting a spanking tomorrow. Arthur had to work but when he got home he had told the kids that he, Bill and Charlie would warm their bottoms for them before bed. Mom was pregnant and, according to dad's old and standing rule, she was not allowed to punish any of the kids while pregnant. It had nothing to do with accurate medical knowledge, but everything to do with Arthur's superstitions. He felt it just was not right for her to discipline a child while carrying another child in her stomach. Molly could not get him to see reason and had stopped trying many years ago.

Now while this might have sounded like a free pass to the kids, what with mom not being able to discipline them, it definitely was not. If mom couldn't then dad would give twice the swats for just upsetting her. Or if dad were busy then Bill or Charlie would step in and they both had hard hands, especially Charlie. So the Weasleys were planning on trying to be on their good behavior for the next nine months.

Erica was the only exception. She had been told she would receive her spanking tonight, as Sirius would be busy tomorrow running the paperwork on Blane through the ministry. She was a bit worried but was trying very hard to stay positive and have a good time.

Having finished their shopping they headed back to the castle for dinner and a lot of present wrapping.

***********

Sirius looked at the clock and it was about an hour before Erica's bed time. "Erica, go to your room, take your bath and change into your PJ's. When you're changed then come back in here and we will take care of your punishment before you go to bed.

Erica felt her stomach doing flip-flops but she got up and went to her room to get ready for bed. Sirius went to his room and secured the hairbrush from his bureau and brought it with him into the den. About forty minutes later Erica came slowly into the room and she already had tears in her eyes. She wanted to desperately beg him to reconsider but she knew that it wouldn't do any good.

"Come over here Erica" said Sirius. She walked over and stood in front of him.

"Lower your pants and bend over my lap" said Sirius.

Erica slowly pulled her PJ's down along with her pants, then already shaking, she bent over her Uncle's lap. Sirius felt his heart flutter and he sure wished he didn't have to do this. But she needed to know that there were boundaries and there were behaviors that were not acceptable. Good Grief the child was only twelve years old. He hoped this would get the point across.

He wrapped his left arm around her waist, locking her in place so she wouldn't fall on the floor and really hurt herself. Then he raised his right palm and vigorously brought it down with a loud smack right in the middle of her bottom. She jerked from the smack and sucked in air.

"Why are you receiving this punishment Erica?" asked Sirius.

"Because I broke so many rules" she answered.

"Correct" and with that he briskly applied nine more fierce swats all over her bum. There were silent tears running down her cheeks and she was starting to try and move her bottom out of the path of his hand.

It was time so he picked up the hair brush and laid it on her very warm bum, to warn her that they were progressing. She tensed up and held her breath. He asked her, "Erica, why are you being spanked with the hair brush?"

"Because I put my life in danger and you said if I did that you would use the hair brush" replied Erica.

"That is correct" Sirius said and at the same time he brought the hair brush decisively down on her already sore bottom. Erica jumped and couldn't help but yelp. Her yelp quickly turned into yells as the hair brush turned her pink bottom into a very red bottom.

When the crying diminished he helped her to stand up. "Your punishment would not have happened if you had just come to me with the truth and trusted me to take care of the situation. You are twelve Erica, not twenty."

Then he handed her a handkerchief so she could blow her nose and wipe her eyes. Then he handed her a wet towel so she could wipe her face while she waited. "Now go stand in that corner for thirty minutes and think about what you have done" said Sirius, "And don't even think about reaching back to try and rub the sting away."

He allowed her the comfort of a cool towel for her face, but he wanted the burn on her bum to last just a few minutes more so it would sink into her consciousness. He remembered when he was spanked and then stood up, he would have automatically grabbed his bum and try to rub the pain away if he could but James Potter would grab him and place him in a corner, making him lace his fingers over his head so he couldn't rub his bum. James wanted him to think about the sting for a bit before going to his room.

Sirius went over to his desk and put things away. He then sat down and looked at her.

He had told her he was going to punish her tonight instead of tomorrow because he had to go to the ministry. He could have worked in the time but he really wanted her, unlike the rest of the kids, to be able to sleep on it for a night before having to walk around and sit in public. He knew how it was when it was hard to sit in a chair or walk without looking funny on that first day. Perhaps a nights rest might help her with that.

"Ok Erica, you can go now" said Sirius. He walked over to her and pulled her into a big hug. "I want you to remember that I love you, even when you do bad things, I will love you. This spanking is over with and now you can look forward to having a fun Christmas. Don't worry about being grounded until we come back from the Manor, just clear your head of painful stuff and enjoy yourself."

"Uncle Sirius, can I ask you something?" said Erica between hiccups.

"You can ask me anything you want, Erica. I don't know if I have the answer but I will try" said Sirius.

"Blane is getting a father for Christmas, can I have one too?" asked Erica. She asked all this without looking up, but kept her head buried in his shirt, praying that he would not say no.

He pushed her away from him, cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her face up so that she was looking him in the eye. It was heartbreaking as her eyes were all puffy and still full of tears. "If that is what you truly want Erica I would feel privileged. But you have just received a spanking by my hand, are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes Sir, I want someone who can love me even when I am bad. I seem to get into a lot of trouble and nobody but you ever cared enough to stick with me even when I embarrass you."

"You're not bad Erica and you have not embarrassed me. You just do bad things once in a while, just like all kids do. It is very easy to love you, and if you want this, then be up in the morning and I will take you with me. We can settle two adoptions as well as one I would think" he said with a smile.

Erica just grabbed onto him and hugged him as tightly as she could. "Thank you!" Then being embarrassed she let go of him and ran as fast as she could, with a sore bottom, to her bedroom. Tomorrow she would have a real, a very loving and real Father. Now she knew how life could be good and bad all at the same time.


	19. Day Of Reckoning

CHAPTER 19- Day of Reckoning

The Snape kids were getting ready to leave the residence when Severus said, "Luna, why don't you stay behind since I have a little free time we will deal with your punishment first." Luna paled a bit but sat back down to wait for Severus to finish his coffee.

The rest of the Snapes were the first kids to arrive at breakfast in the Great Hall that morning. Soon Erica walked in and since all the students were gone, she sat with them or at least she attempted to sit with them. She slowly lowered her bum to the bench but was in for a surprise when she encountered a 'cushioning charm'. "Was that your doing Hermione?" she asked with a smile.

"Yes" answered Hermione, "I figured that today we just might get a lot of use out of it. We have to eat sitting on benches and then we have to study in the library and the chairs in there are wood. Yes, it should come in handy."

"Thanks" said Erica.

"Anytime" answered Hermione.

"Well one good thing came out of it, I will never be spanked by my Uncle again" said Erica.

"What do you mean" asked Hermione with a look of panic on her face. "He isn't going to get rid of you because of this is he?"

"No" answered Erica, "He's going to adopt me and Blane at the same time. I'm going to get my Christmas wish, a Father who can love me even when I am acting bad" she laughed. "I don't think anyone has ever been spanked and then adopted within twenty four hours."

Everyone patted her on the back and offered congratulations. "Where is Sirius now" asked Harry, "I don't see him around."

"He is up springing Blane out of the clutches of Madam Pomfrey. We are going to the Ministry today and run the paperwork through so we don't have to worry about it during Christmas."

About then Ginny walked in very slowly and a bit of a stoop. Hermione worked her cushion spell once again and Ginny thanked her profusely. "Dad decided to get some exercise this morning before going to work and I turned out to be the exercise.

"Tell me about it" said Erica. "I didn't think Uncle Serius was ever going to stop. It didn't stop throbbing until early this morning, but the burn and sting are still alive and well."

"Dad held Luna back when we left the residence so I guess she will be getting spanked first" said Hermione. "She really looked pale when we left but there wasn't anything we could do."

About that time Sirius yelled to Erica from the doorway, "Come on Erica, let's get going, we have a long day ahead of us." Erica said her goodbyes and slowly rose from the bench, grabbing a couple pieces of toast, she slowly started toward the main foyer.

Ron and Percy arrived, each ready to eat a hippogriff if it got in their way. The Twins were close behind and each was chattering away to each other.

When they finished breakfast they all grabbed their bags and made their way to the library. They were to study and work on the last of their homework today so that they would have nothing to do but play when they got to the manor. Otherwise they had to work on homework after breakfast for two hours each day.

Once they were settled in, Erica and Ginny had new cushioning charms to keep them comfortable, then Cassy and Molly arrived. The kids enjoyed having Molly around as she was much smarter than everyone gave her credit for. Many times when they couldn't find an answer for their homework she would be able to direct them to the right resource to find the answers. Cassy loved her a lot and seemed to be learning quickly from her.

Soon, Luna walked in very slowly. She looked like she had cried a lot and her hands were still shaking. Hermione created a cushioning charm for her and surprisingly Molly walked over and handed her a damp, cool, rag to put on her eyes. "Just leave it there for a few minutes and it will work wonders for you. I know from personal experience what that evil Stinger can do."

The kids were really impressed. First that Molly would know anything about Stinger and secondly she would reach out and help Luna who seemed to really be struggling.

Luna didn't want to cry in public but something just didn't feel right. Yes, her bum stung from her spanking, but her dad had not used 'stinger' only his hand. There was something else was going on that she couldn't get a handle on, she felt like she was falling apart. Molly asked the kids to watch Cassy then she disappeared for a few minutes.

She went to speak to Alice about Luna. "Alice, I don't want to interfere with your family but when Luna came back to the library she was really having a difficult time of it. She is shaking and trying so hard not to cry. I gave her a wet cloth for her eyes and I think Hermione charmed a cushioning charm for her. But you might want to speak to her and settle her down, there is something more than her punishment bothering her.

Not long after Molly returned to the library Alice came in and talked to the kids. She noticed that Molly was right, Luna was very disturbed so she asked Luna to come with her for a walk.

About that time Severus came rushing back asking if anyone had seen Luna. She had been upset and he had put her in her bed room so he could talk with her. When he went to talk with her she was gone. Molly told him that Alice had taken her for a walk and they were probably down by the lake.

During lunch Erica arrived back at Hogwarts and had a big smile on her face. She put her arm around the young man next to her and introduced him as Blane Black and she was now to be known as Erica Black, Sirius was now their father. Both of them looked like they had died and gone to heaven.

"Ok," said Molly, "Everyone back to the library and back to work on that homework. That goes for you also Ms. Erica Black and Mr. Blane Black after you have a sandwich or two" she added with a smile. So they all trudged back up to the library wishing this terrible day would end so they could get on with Christmas.

Soon everyone but Harry and Draco were nursing sore bottoms. Severus had sent for them and they began the long walk back to the residence although it was not as long as they would have liked it to be. Draco had already experienced the evilness of 'stinger' and was not looking forward to another meeting.

"How bad is it?" asked Harry.

"Well, remember the hair brush?" Draco asked Harry.

"Oh yes, I remember the hair brush" replied Harry.

"Well this is worse than that, if you can believe it" replied Draco.

When they arrived Severus told them to go to their room and wait until they were called. He had Albus in the study and they were talking.

About a half hour later Severus called Draco into the office, shut the door and as far as Harry could tell, put up a silencing charm. Harry waited and a good while later Draco finally slowly walked out of the study and went to the Loo. After leaving the Loo he stuck his head back in the bedroom and told Harry that if he wasn't back by the time they went to dinner he would get his books and take them to the Great Hall.

"Thanks" said Harry.

"Ok Harry" said Severus, "Come into the study please."

When Harry walked in he looked at his Dad and decided this was not going to be a pleasant experience.

"Ok Harry I think we have all had enough talk about this situation, is there anything you want to add?" said Severus.

"No Sir," said Harry

"Then please come over here to the couch and lower your jeans and pants" said Severus.

"Yes sir," said Harry.

He walked over to his Dad and with shaking hands he lowered his jeans and pants to his knees then bent over his fathers lap. This conveniently wedged his upper body between his dad and the couch prohibiting him from using his hands to protect his self. This was definitely starting out as a very bad day.

Severus laid 'stinger' on his bum then asked Harry, "What are you being punished for Harry?"

Oh no, thought Harry, I'm definitely going to die today. No wonder everyone looked so shell shocked. A swat to the middle of his thigh brought him out of his thoughts and reminded him that Severus was waiting for an answer.

"Because we put our lives in danger unnecessarily sir" answered Harry while sucking in air.

"Correct" answered Severus and he proceeded to start. Harry was yelling and trying to move out of the way it smarted so bad. Severus stopped and said, "Harry we are going to start this part of the punishment over again if you don't stop jumping all over the place, do you understand?"

"Yesssss, sir" he said with snot running down his face.

Severus then shifted Harry and wrapped his right leg around the front of Harry's so that they were pinned in place.

He then started spanking again, hitting the thighs and sit spots, which were now very exposed, over and over again until Harry just broke down and sobbed. Finally, after feeling like it was forever, Severus stopped.

Severus stood up but made Harry remain bending over the arm of the couch. He rubbed his back and handed him a wet towel for his face then told him to stay in position until he told him to rise. He could lift up on his elbows but he could not reach back and touch his bum. Severus wanted the sting to last just a bit longer.

Harry was not really aware of the change as he was still sobbing from the sting that didn't seem to diminish as fast as it usually did. He just knew that the cool air gave some relief and he sure wished he could put the cold, wet towel on his bum instead of his face.

Severus went back to his desk and sat down, surveying Harry's bum. The thing about the stinger was there was no damage, it was very crimson, it stung like the dickens but Harry would be very upset when he looked in the mirror expecting to be vindicated by the sight of a lot of damage and finding none there.

************

While making Harry wait, Severus was thinking about how Luna had shown signs of mental problems and he had stopped right after the hand spanking. He sent her to her bedroom and told her to stay there until they could talk.

Alice had told him that Luna didn't remember him saying that to her and thought she was supposed to go to her friends.

She was in no shape to be with anyone, as Alice found out. Nobody realized that today was the anniversary of the death of her mother, a death that Luna had witnessed. She was having flashbacks and also she was turning the spanking into a punishment she felt she deserved for not saving her mother.

They would have to curtail all corporal punishment with her until Remus, as her counselor, said it was Ok. Alice already had him schedule some appointments with her and it would be convenient that he would be with them at the manor. Whatever Luna needed, Severus was determined to give her. It had to be horrible, blaming ones self for the death of a parent. She had shown none of the classic signs until now but at least they could step up and help her with this.

"Ok Harry, you can rise now. Go to the Loo and wash your face then go on back to the library" said Severus.

"Yes Sir" answered Harry and he slowly stood up and cautiously pulled up his pants. Severus pulled him into a hug and patting his back he said, "When will you trust me child? I love you and want you to be the twelve year old boy that you are. I know that you have accomplished a lot but it was pure luck that you were not hurt or killed in the process. I understand you have a problem with trusting adults Harry but you have to start somewhere. I have not always been there for you in the past but I am here now and can't do it alone."

Harry hugged him back and said, "I know Dad, and I promise I will try harder, please be patient with me and my hang-ups"

Harry then left the study slowly because movement seemed to stir up the sting but it was over for now, thank goodness.

When Harry arrived back at the library everyone was there and it looked like the punishments were over and they could now heal and have Christmas fun. Neville, the Twins, Ron, and Draco were laying on the floor finishing up their essays. Ginny and Hermione were sitting on cushioning charms as was Erica and Luna. Harry decided he would take a position on his stomach for now as he didn't think that even a cushioning charm would cut it at the moment.

They all looked at each other and then started laughing. "It's not really funny" said Hermione, "But it beats crying." They all agreed and started working on homework in earnest.

Well, perhaps we won't be flying on brooms our first day at the manor, thought Harry. Maybe the second day, he smiled to himself.

***********

Minerva held her ritual gathering that night and all the adults attended. "I noticed that the students were very quiet this evening" said Minerva.

"Yes" said Molly, "They all had their trip to the 'wood shed', as the muggles would say, and all seemed to be very subdued. Wouldn't it be wonderful if they were always that quiet and studious" she said laughing.

"Dream on Molly" said Alice.

"I don't know if anyone else noticed it" said Severus, "But with our kids, their cries and bargaining during their spankings was a bit different from the norm. Usually its, "please stop, I'm sorry, I'll never do it again and so forth. But today not one of them showed any sign of remorse. There was not one "I'm sorry" and I think it was honestly the way they are thinking about this. They knew we would punish them, and they accepted the punishment but they refused to tell us that they were sorry or that they wouldn't do it again. It's almost like they felt we didn't care and that they had no choice but to do what they did" said Severus.

"Dad" asked Severus, "You said you would bring them up to date every few days on our progress and ask them for information. Something tells me that you didn't follow through on your word?"

"I just got busy Severus" said Albus, "Things were happening fast what with the Ministry trying to shut the school down and the like. I would have got around to it they were just too impatient."

"I see" said Severus. "Don't bother Dad, I know you're busy so I'll do it for you."

Severus was very angry but didn't want to get into an argument and Albus knew he was angry. Albus was never going to ask a bunch of young teenagers for advice so his son could just get over himself. If he wanted to placate the kids so be it, but he had better things to do with his time.

Severus would try in the future to work closer with the Companions in an effort to gain their trust. They needed to know that he would be there for them and he needed them to know that he had the same concerns about the Order, the Ministry and Albus.

It was hard to separate yourself from Albus yet still have the kids respect the position he held in the school. They certainly didn't need to lose the figurehead right now, right when it looked like Voldemort was coming back to power. But the war was going to be fought differently this time and Albus was not going to be the Savior of the world as he wanted to be again. It would take time and Severus would keep trying.

"What happen with Luna?" asked Molly, wanting to change the subject.

"Today was the anniversary of her Mother's death, and she blames herself for not trying to save her. Of course she was just a small child when she witnessed it, but all these years I guess she has carried around this guilt. We have arranged for her to have sessions with Remus until she can work through it."

"That's terrible" said Poppy.

"Yes" said Severus, "But at least we know now and can make sure she gets all the help she needs."

"Is everyone ready to leave in the morning" asked Albus.

"I think so" answered Minerva. "We have charmed the castle to send a warning to you if there are any intruders during the next few weeks since the students have been restored and none of us have to be here. Are you going to be with your sister Poppy?"

"Yes, I owled her to let her know I would be able to be with her for Christmas and she is thrilled. So if I don't see any of you before next year then I wish each of you a quiet, peaceful, joy filled and happy holiday season."


	20. It Is Hard To Rest

CHAPTER 20- It Is Hard To Rest

Harry was with the second group that Floo'd to Snape Manor. As he looked around his eyes grew big and his mouth dropped.............it was beautiful!

They had ended up in a sun room that extended off the main house. Severus explained that this was a special room that shipped a person off to a jail cell which was near if someone who desired to cause harm or was not programmed to be received as a visitor entered.

The main house was not as big as Hogwarts but it was big and the style was nothing like what he had expected. It was only two stories but there seemed to be a lot of rooms and the stonework was elegant and beautiful. It looked more like a home than most of the Manors that Harry had seen pictures of.

Once everyone was together Severus and Alice led them into the house. The inside was just as elegant, yet gave off a feeling of 'home'. They entered into the main foyer which had staircases circling off on both sides of the room, leading both up to the second floor and it would seem down to the basement. They walked through the foyer into a very large great room which had multiple couches and chairs along with a huge fireplace.

More than space and elegance were all the Christmas decorations. In the great-room stood a huge Christmas tree that almost touched the ceiling and was covered with lights, reflector balls, and hundreds of creative tree decorations. On one end of the great-room the wall was floor to ceiling glass which overlooked the hill and forest right outside the house. Harry couldn't help but notice that it would be a perfect place to try out a sled.

Severus then led them through the great-room to the kitchen where there were a number of house elves working on lunch. They ended up in the dining room where Harry noticed that there were two tables. Severus pointed to the first table saying "That table is for you kids and this table is for the adults" then he asked everyone to have a seat.

"We will be twenty four in number this holiday and the adults have decided that we should all gather at the same time for breakfast and dinner. You are expected to eat lunch but we will allow the timing to be more flexible. Breakfast will be at eight in the morning and Dinner will be at seven and everyone is expected to be here on time. This way we will all be together at least twice a day and can announce activities, news or happenings, not to mention, checking in with each other.

"Your trunks and cases have been taken to your rooms which are all located on the second floor. When we finish here you can go find your room by looking for your name which had been applied to the door. On this floor you will find the great room, library, kitchen, dining room and my study which is off limits unless invited. In the basement you will find the game room, a heated pool, dueling room and my lab."

Severus continued, " The lab is off limits unless you have permission to use it but the rest of the rooms are there for your enjoyment. On the grounds you will find a mini-farm out back with horses, bobsled hill and walking trails. You kids are not, I repeat, NOT to go into the forest unless an adult is with you. The wards have been set around the house and are marked by the forest line. If you stay inside the line you should be safe to play and fly to your hearts content. If you break through the wards an alarm will go off in the house and the offender will be dealt with appropriately. Now if no one has any questions you can go find your room and settle in.

Harry and the rest of the kids headed up the stairs to find their rooms and as Severus had told them there were names on the doors. The first double door bedrooms were marked for Severus and Alice, Albus and Minerva, Tonks and Lupin, Arthur and Molly, and Sirius.

Cassy had a small bedroom right next to Severus and Alice then Hermonie and Erica were together in the next room. Ginny and Luna were sharing a room as was Harry Draco and Ron. Blane, Percy and Neville were in the next room then Fred and George were in the last room.

When Harry walked into his shared bedroom he found a huge room with three single beds, a bathroom and a walk in closet for their clothing. It was a spacious room as the three beds fit in the room comfortably along with study desks and chairs and three overstuffed chairs. The bathroom had a huge bathtub and a stone shower along with double sinks. It was a very comfortable room but Harry was not planning on spending much time here.

The kids quickly settled in and just as quickly joined up to go exploring. First they headed to the basement eager to check out the game room and pool. It was everything they could imagine and more. There was a huge pool and the water was comfortably warm. They found a fitness room next door along with a dueling room which contained all the equipment they would need to keep with their practice sessions which Severus said would not be dropped just because it was Christmas. They had to put in at least two hours a day on their practice and fitness then they could have the rest of the day to do whatever they pleased. They found a room that they assumed was the lab Severus talked about since there was a sign on the door that said, 'KEEP OUT' and the door was locked.

Next they went up to the main floor so that Hermonie could check out the library. When they walked in they all just stood there in shock. The library was huge and the book shelves went from floor to ceiling for what seemed to be forever. It was definitely bigger than the library at Hogwarts. Hermonie slowly walked over to one of the shelves, reached up and attempted to pull out a book. All of a sudden a voice came out of nowhere saying, 'This book is off limits to you, please contact your parent if you desire to read it.'

It was seldom that Hermonie is frustrated and the look on her face was one that Harry wished he had taken a picture of. Hermonie to be denied a book was like taking Severus' lab away from him. She went from frustrated to furious and reached for the book again. This time there was a loud sound like a slap and Hermonie jerked her hand back. Something had slapped her hand although none of them could see anyone.

Not to be denied she reached for it again and this time they heard another, louder slap, then Hermonie yelled, OUCH, and covered her bum with her hands. The voice returned once again saying, 'Leave the library now! Your parents have been notified of your misbehavior and you cannot enter the library again without their permission'. With that said Hermonie felt something grab her by the scuff of the neck then pushed her out of the library, smacking her bottom until they reached the doorway.

About that time Severus appeared to see what the alarm was about. He found Hermonie standing outside the library, very red in the face, yelling at something invisible, telling it to let her go.

Severus just smiled then said, "Release her" and Hermonie felt the force stop. "Hermonie, there are certain books in the library that you are not allowed to read without my approval. You will be warned when you try to pull it from the shelf and if you continue to try an alarm will put you out of the library. So if there is something important you want to look at and the ward won't let you then just come to me and I will check it for you."

"Yes Sir" replied Hermonie, looking very embarrassed.

"Now why don't you kids bundle up and go outside and take a look at the grounds while there is still time to see everything" said Severus.

Outside it was beautiful. There was fresh snowfall on the ground and the trees retained enough of the snow to show off their winter colors of green and white.

In one of the out buildings they found sleds, toboggans and snowboards. The next outbuilding stored a number of brooms along with tack for the horses. The barn housed the horses, a hayloft and what Harry would call an Owl Penthouse.

Harry looked at the rest of the kids then said, "I don't think my bum can take flying yet but why don't we grab a couple sleds and try out Bobsled Hill?"

They all agreed then grabbed a few sleds and walked around the house to the hill. On the far side of the hill they found a taunt rope that was strung between the house and the bottom of the hill. They looked at it, trying to figure out why it was there when one of the twins pushed a green button on the box that the rope was strung through. All of a sudden the rope started moving. They just looked at it wondering what it was doing when it dawned on Harry what it was for.

"This is great guys!" said Harry. "When you get to the bottom, instead of constantly having to walk up the hill all you have to do is sit on the sled, hit the button then grab the rope and it will pull you back up to the top of the hill."

"Awesome" said the twins.

Harry and Ron shared a sled and started down the hill. The ride was fast with a couple bumps along the way. About half way down Harry noticed a small hill coming at them pretty fast and tried to steer around it. Not being very proficient with a sled yet he was not successful and managed to be the first one to hit a jump pad that had been built into the hill. Quickly they found themselves to be airborne and both realized that what-goes-up-must-come-down. When they hit the ground again they were not prepared for the landing and Ron's teeth ended up embedded in Harry's head.

When the boys entered the house Severus was in the Great room and noticed that things were not quite right. Harry's head was bleeding as was Ron's mouth. Severus led them into the kitchen and conjoured up two cloths to use to stop the bleeding.

"What in the world have you two been up to?" asked Severus.

The boys explained that they were sledding and didn't know about the jump. When they landed their heads collided and both were bleeding. Molly walked in about then, having followed a trail of blood.

Severus looked at her then said, "Molly, could you take care of Harry and patch up his head? Ron is going to take a bit more work as he has loosened a few of his teeth."

Molly nodded, putting off finding out what happened and concentrated on patching up Harry. Severus took out his wand and began work on Ron's teeth. Soon both boys were healed but both had pretty bad headaches. They explained to Molly what happened then waited for her to start yelling.

"We haven't been here but a few hours and you have managed to try and kill yourselves already" she said. But the boys noticed that she was smiling and shaking her head so they relaxed a bit.

Severus looked at the boys then said, "You two are grounded to the house for the rest of the day. Not because you're in trouble but I want to keep an eye on you both in case there is a concussion. For your information and future safety, you don't use the jump with two people on one sled, that's for one person who is lying down on a sled to try and master. There is plenty for you two to do inside as long as you take it easy for awhile."

The rest of the kids spent the day out in the snow while Ron and Harry checked out all the games in the game room. They were not allowed to swim as Severus didn't want the wounds to get wet for a few hours. The game room was phenomenal and even had muggle computer games that had been charmed to play inside a magic house.

Soon it was lunch time and the kids all gathered together in the dining room. Once they were seated they called for Dobby who let them know what was being served for lunch and took the drink orders. Before they knew it sandwiches and soup were on the table along with their drinks.

Harry and Ron told everyone about the game room and they all decided to try it out after lunch since they were cold and wanted to participate in warmer activities that afternoon.

Hermonie finally was able to get a book from the library and planted herself in a corner of the game room to read. She was close enough to feel like she was part of the group but as she had no interest in the games she read her book on the building of Hogwarts. She was sure she might be able to find some history of all those passageways if she could just find the right resource.

As it came closer to evening Alice informed them that they would have to bundle up for dinner. They were going to have a wiener roast along with hot drinks and melted marshmallows all cooked on the patio. It would be fun to do something different and since she was going through cravings of different foods and today it was hotdogs and marshmallows, no one even thought of arguing with her.

At six that evening everyone went out on the patio to cook their hotdogs, on sticks over a fire. The house elves provided potato and macaroni salads along with the gram crackers to make smores if desired. It seemed a bit odd, cooking hotdogs on a stick while wearing gloves, drinking hot chocolate and watching the sun go down but it was different, it was family and it was fun.

Cassy was having a fit. It took three frustrated talks and some tears to convince her mother that she liked her hotdog burned on the outside. Alice thought she had accidently burned them and Cassy kept burning them purposely. Severus finally stepped in and explained to Alice that Cassy liked burned dogs and they were just burned on the outside the inside was perfectly OK. After that Cassy was perfectly happy burning her dogs and soaking them with mustard. Alice quickly lost her appetite for hot dogs and went for the salad instead.

It became apparent to everyone that Cassy was really into charcoal when she also purposely burned her marshmallows. She would pull off the burned part of the gooey treat, eat it, then begin cooking the marshmallow again. She would get about three 'cooks' out of one white treat then start on another one. Soon everyone was just sitting there watching her ritual and losing their appetites.

"She is one weird kid" said Harry, laughing.

After dinner they all went their different ways and enjoyed their peaceful evening. It had been a long day and most of the kids, with the exception of Cassy, began to migrate to their bedrooms early. Severus and Alice were sitting with Albus and Minerva, enjoying the fire, in the great room. Sirius came into the room with Cassy straddled around his neck and acting like she had digested at least a galleon of sugar.

"I found her sneaking up on the house elves with a squirt gun. I don't think they would appreciate the war games tonight so I abducted her and promised a story" said Sirius.

He knew that Alice was having a difficult pregnancy in that she was moody and her food cravings were driving the house elves nuts. Severus was trying his best to comfort her but there were times when she just refused to be comforted.

Sirius decided to help Cassy get ready for bed and read to her until the sugar high wore off. At least he hoped it would wear off. He settled down with Cassy in his lap and began to read 'Twas The Night Before Christmas.

Sirius was about a quarter of the way through the book when his audience began to fall asleep. The frustrating part was that it was Severus and Alice who went to sleep first, Albus and Minerva decided to head to bed and Cassy was just beginning to become drowsy.

It took another half hour to sooth the little girl into sleep mode. Sirius then carried her to her bedroom and tucked her in. He then checked on all the kids, finding them all in bed fast asleep. A few of the lights were still on so he took care of the few left over chores and finally felt secure in the thought that everyone was safe and sound.

Still feeling like he was head of security and still needed to function that way no matter where he was, Sirius decided to walk the house and check things out before he went to bed.

He had checked the house and was now walking the perimeter. Enough snow had fallen to cover all old tracks and he felt it would be wise to check for new ones. He didn't expect to find anything as Severus and Albus had set the wards and no one was better at it.

He was near the rear of the house when he heard noises coming from the barn. He proceeded toward the barn in Auror mode, hiding behind trees and rocks while working toward the noise. When he arrived at the barn the noise had stopped but he found two dead owls. Neither were residents of the manor so they must have been trying to get a message through to Severus. The owls looked to be purposely hurt like someone was trying to take the messages they were carrying. One of the messages was indeed gone but the second owl had made it through before dying.

Sirius decided not to touch the message but sent a patronus to Severus alerting him and asking him to come to the barn.


	21. Cassy And Dobby Race To The Finish

CHAPTER 21-Cassy and Dobby Race To The Finish

When Severus arrived at the barn he still had a bit of sleep in his eyes.

"What's going on Sirius? Why the late-night call?" asked Severus.

"It would seem that two or more owls were sent to you. Both are dead and only one made it through with a message. I didn't touch the message in case it was personal, but I figured you would want to see this immediately."

Severus just stared at the two owls then drew his wand and checked the message for curses. Finding none he opened the message. After reading it twice he handed it to Sirius and then sat down on a bale of hay.

Sirius took the message and read............._"Ministry attacked, Death Eaters tried to gain access to Unspeakable globe storage but we stopped them. One of the captured appeared to be Harry but after an hour we found a Death Eater under the influence of polyjuice potion. They must have some of Harry's hair so be careful. One of our people overheard them talking about looking for friends of Harry's to hold hostage and a plan to enter Hogwarts over the Christmas vacation."_

"I think we are safe here" said Severus, "But we will need to work out a code system with everyone so we can catch the fakes. Plus if they intercepted the other message they know that we know what they are up to."

"That reminds me," said Sirius, "We need to change the destination for the portkeys the kids are wearing. It they get into trouble they will end up at Hogwarts and no one is there right now."

Severus had a funny look on his face then said to Sirius, "I don't know what's wrong with me, I should have thought of that! Thanks for remembering!"

"You can't do it all Severus" said Sirius. "That's why Albus hired me as security and others to handle other areas of concern. Hopefully between all of us we can stay on top of things."

"I just want to give everyone a problem free Christmas vacation" said Severus. "A time to just relax and enjoy life is very important to Alice and I want to see that she gets her Christmas wish. Goodness knows how much trouble the rest of the year will bring."

Sirius looked at the owls again then said, "They both made it through but both were killed because someone tried to intercept them. Whoever caught one of them and badly hurt the other, managed to intercept a message. I am sure the culprits who did this tried to follow the one that got away. I have a hunch we might find some tracks outside the perimeter if we looked, but it would be best to wait until daylight."

"They can't see the house, all they would see is a vacant hill top and a village down the hill. We will need to ward the Aurors who are watching the village in case the Death Eaters decide to start roughing people up" said Severus. "The good thing is that when they leave the village they leave their memories about why they were there. It only works that way with those who have the mark."

"Get back to bed Severus, before Alice wonders where you are. She doesn't need to know about this, not in the mood she has been recently. I'll take care of the owls" said Sirius.

"She said her mood swings should end by next month, at least that is what happened when she had Neville" said Severus. "I am looking forward to January very much he said smiling".

"I'll bet you are" laughed Sirius. "I'm not sure what she will think up after hotdogs and burned marshmallows in the snow, but it ought to be a doozy. Well, I need to get to bed as I'm in charge of the kids fitness and duel training in the morning."

*********************

At breakfast the next morning Alice got everyone's attention and made an announcement. "We are going to adopt and carry on a tradition that has been in my family for years. In this hat, which she picked up, are pieces of paper with the name of each one of us. We will be drawing names and will give that person a Christmas Present during Christmas Dinner. The special circumstance is that you cannot buy this present it has to be created by you especially for the person you drew from the hat. If you use magic to create it then it has to be your magic and no one else. We have a week to get it done which should be plenty of time. This will require some thought and creativity and should be a lot of fun."

Everyone just sat there and looked at her like she was crazy but after seeing the look on Severus' face they all began to smile and act excited about the adventure. Alice then passed the hat around and everyone drew a name.

Everyone had a name to work on but two of the more interesting were Cassy who picked Harry and Harry who picked Severus.

Alice also announced that they would leave around nine the next morning for their Christmas shopping trip. Many of the adults and most of the kids had not had the opportunity to complete their shopping and they needed to provide for security.

Albus and Severus told all the kids to meet in the Great Room after breakfast. Once they were all there the two of them collected up the amulets and charmed them to bring the person to Snape Manor instead of Hogwarts. They gave the amulets back and explained again the instructions that they were to hold them and say the word "companion" then the amulet would bring them to Snape Manor. Severus also explained to them that this was the code word to use for identification and explained to them about the Death Eater impersonating Harry.

Severus picked up Cassy and asked her, "Do you remember how to use your amulet Cassy?"

"Yes, Daddy. I hold on to it and say 'Mama' and it will take me to Poppy."

"Well we have changed it a little bit Cassy. Now it will bring you to this house. But you need to remember never to use it unless you are in danger, OK?"

"Yes Daddy, I'll remember."

"We will change them back after Christmas and we all return to Hogwarts. But we don't want you ending up at Hogwarts with no one there to be with you" said Albus.

*****************

The kids set about organizing sled races and even convinced the adults to participate. The first set of races were scheduled to take place that afternoon and promised to provide some interesting entertainment.

The family was sitting in comfortable chairs on the back patio in front of a roaring fire, getting ready for the first race. Albus and Minerva were the first two contestants and nobody wanted to miss out.

All of a sudden they heard a screech and Cassy yelling, "Daddy, save me!"

Cassy had been playing trapeze artist and walking around the cinder block railing around the patio which also served as secondary seating when it was crowded. She had slipped on an icy patch and fallen head first into a snow drift that had piled up against the patio wall.

"Where is she?" asked Severus, looking around frantically.

"She was just here" said Neville, "I saw her walking on the rail and bowing to the fantasy crowds she was supposed to be performing in front of."

They all started looking over the wall for a place where Cassy might have fallen and soon Hermione yelled, "Over here, there's a hole in the snow over here!"

Severus arrived first and reached down into the hole in the snow. He felt the fabric of Cassy's snow suit and just grabbed onto it and pulled. When he pulled his arm out of the hole he had hold of Cassy's bottom and she was hanging upside down. When she saw the light of day and her Fathers face she smiled and said, "I knew you would save me Daddy".

Severus continued to hold onto her bum and brought her closer so that they were eye ball to eye ball. "Look at what I found buried in the snow, do you think we should keep her or should we throw her back, she is pretty small?" said Severus.

"DADDY, you wouldn't throw me back would you?" asked Cassy with big saucer eyes and a grin that had turned into a very worried look.

"Severus!" said Alice. "Put her right side up before all the blood rushes to her head and quit threatening her!"

Severus just smiled, righted his daughter and placed her on her feet. "Little One," said Severus, "You need to watch where you're walking or we might not find you next time."

"Yes, Daddy" said Cassy. But her calm demeanor did not last very long and soon she was jumping up and down not knowing who to root for, her Grandma or Grandpa.

About that time the kids started laughing at the sight of their Grandparents, Headmaster and Professor, laying on sleds and racing down the hill. Minerva seemed to have more experience on a sled and beat Albus by at least two sled lengths. Severus was sure that Albus would never live it down but it did provide for laughs and smiles. It was going to be a wonderful Christmas.

Sirius and Lupin were the next contestants and Lupin won the race but Sirius accused him of cheating. Alice and Molly were declared the judges since Severus and Arthur would not let them race down the hill on a sled. Neither would dare use the word "Pregnancy" as an excuse so they said it was not fair since there were two of them, mother and baby, against one other contestant. Everyone knew what they meant and just laughed. Both the would-be mothers did not care as they were already showing and both suffering from the morning reunion with the commode. It was safer and easier to just sit on the porch and be the bosses.

They declared that there was no cheating and Lupin was in fact the winner of the race and that there would be no re-race. Sirius pouted for a short time but was soon back with the crowd cheering for the racers.

Tonks and Arthur were the next race of the day. They both started off in good shape but both crashed and burned way before hitting the finish line so they had to return to the top of the slope and start over again. It took three tries before one of them reached the finish line and it was Tonks over the line first and it was not because of her talent. Arthur crashed a fourth time and Tonks just held on and hoped for the best. She made it across the finish line but then crashed into a show bank because she didn't know how to stop the sled. It took a lot of nurture and talk to get her to agree to another race.

The last race of the day was to be between Bill and Charley. They were a bit daring and very mischievous. They tried to use their sleds as bumper cars, causing the other racer to veer off the course and hopefully crashing. Bill even used the jump to gain an advantage over Charley but the judges declared all the races with jumps and contact to be fouls. It took six attempts before Bill finally won a race and of course lorded it over Charley until the chunky muscled man threw Bill in a snow drift and walked off letting Bill dig himself out.

Everyone was packing up to go inside when they noticed two sleds coming down the race track.

"Was someone else scheduled to race" asked Harry?

"No" said the Twins, "Bill and Charley were supposed to be the last two for today."

As the sleds got closer they could finally make out who was on them and when they did they were in utter shock. On one sled was Cassy. She was flapping in the breeze because of the speed she was traveling but she was holding on with a quiet determination. Her facial expression was one of a little person determined to win her race even though the adults and students had not extended to her the courtesy of an invitation.

On the second sled was none other than Dobby. Dobby's face did not reflect the quiet determination that Cassy's did. Dobby's expression was one of sheer terror.

Dobby had hold of the handles although steering seemed to be a foreign language and he was there only because Cassy was there! Dobby was to watch out for Cassy and that is exactly what Dobby would do no matter how dangerous it might be.

On they came with seemingly little control, narrowly missing each other frequently and from the expressions on their faces, each was having an opposite emotion from the other.

Severus was frozen to the spot in shock, as were most of the others. Finally he was able to cast a spell to slow down their speed but allow Cassy to finish the race. Cassy won the race and was jumping up and down because she knew she had moved to the second round. Dobby crawled off the sled and fainted.

Severus was furious at first then calmed down and tried to see it from Cassy's point of view. She was one of the group, but they had not even considered trying to keep her involved in the activities. She was at such a difficult age. Too old to be content with staying with Mama and too young to handle some of the activities that her siblings were attempting. They should have thought of a way to include her and they didn't and now they would have to try and find a way to keep her in the race without putting her in danger.

Within feelings of controlled anger they celebrated Cassy's victory and picked up Dobby to carry him into the house until he could recover from his frightening experience. He might have been the first house elf ever to race on a sled and from the looks of him, he might be the last.

*********************

Harry decided he wanted to go flying before dinner. He felt he needed the solitude and the wind in his hair. He had started getting headaches again, like he experienced when he was around Professor Quirrell the previous year. They were not as bad if he remembered to practice his Occlumency but he still felt a vague presence and it was not comfortable.

He also felt like his body was turning into one big anger machine at times. Madame Pomfrey had explained to him one time that it was all about something called hormones. It might be easy to say but it was hell to live with. Out of the blue a comment or a look would stir up the angry bug in him and he just wanted to lash out and yell at the person. Then it would pass and he would think that it had been a really stupid thought considering what had been said.

Perhaps he ought to talk to his Dad about it but he was hesitant and didn't want to worry him. Really he didn't want to stand out as different. He was already different in so many ways and to add another difference to the mix just gave him hives.

He took off from the porch and immediately felt better. Flying always made him feel free and his mind seemed to calm down and give him peace. He made it a point to stay within the boundary. He wanted to stay out of trouble this holiday season. He didn't have many good holidays to remember, none really, and he wanted this one to be special.

As he flew over the bob-sled hill he noticed a trail coming out of the forest and then stop about a hundred yards into the sled run. He flew lower to get a better look and saw that the trail was actually the tracks of one or more people coming out of the woods and stopping at, what looked to be a large pile of snow.

He decided to land at the snow pile since it was inside the boundary and it was allowed. He walked over to the pile and found out that it was much more than just a pile of snow. What he was looking at was a snow cave. He remembered seeing one on TV one time when Dudly was watching a survivor show. Inside the cave were maps and a sleeping bag along with food stuffs.

His brain kicked in, telling him that this was, what Severus would classify as putting oneself in danger, and as he clearly remembered, the consequence for doing that was very, very uncomfortable.

He jumped on his broom and using his wand he erased all evidence of his being there then raced back to the house to find his Dad.

He called the house elfs to ask where his Dad was and they told him he was busy in the study. Usually one did not bother his Dad when the door was closed but Harry decided that this was important enough to interrupt him.

He knocked on the door and heard his Dad answer, "Enter". Harry walked in and found his Dad sitting at his desk. He walked to the front of the desk and waited for Severus to acknowledge him. It was a weird feeling because anytime that Severus was on one side of a desk and Harry on the other it usually meant that Harry was in trouble.

Severus finally looked up and said, "Hello Harry! So what is so important that it couldn't wait?"

"Dad", said Harry, "I was flying out back and found a set of tracks that led to a snow cave on bob-sled hill. I thought you would want to know about it right away.

Severus was out of his chair and through the door even before Harry finished his sentence. The same time he was moving he was also calling for Bibi, his house elf and directing him to locate and bring to the patio Albus, Arthur, Sirius and Lupin.

They all met on the patio where Severus asked Harry where he saw the prints. Harry had his broom with him and offered to show them where it was.

"No", said Severus, "Just give us directions then I want everyone else to stay in the house until we return."

"But I can show you then fly back" said Harry.

"I said NO! You will stay here until I come back. We don't know what we might be getting into and we might have to go into the forest. I don't want to have to worry about where you are in case we get into a fight. You will stay here with the rest of the kids and guard the house and that is my final word on the subject!"

Harry was about to argue but the look on his Dad's face told him he was treading on thin ice and had best stop while he was ahead. He pointed to a couple landmarks and what to look for then in anger grabbed his broom and stomped into the house.

Severus was tempted to follow him and administer a bit of 'attitude adjustment' but there was not time. They all mounted brooms and flew off to where Harry had directed them to look for the tracks and found them in about two minutes.

"Arthur, Albus and Sirius, you stay up here and the rest of us will land and check out the snow pile where the tracks end. Warn us if you see anyone coming.

With that Severus and Lupin landed and immediately realized that the pile of snow was a cave with personal items inside. They erased evidence of their presence and joined up with Sirius and Arthur and Albus.


	22. Harry's Emotions Boil Over

CHAPTER 22-Harry's Emotions Boil Over

"We will have to follow those tracks into the forest and see where they lead" said Severus. Someone has camped out in that cave and has been watching the house. I am not sure how they have managed this but we need to see if we can catch them.

They flew low, under the tree branches, following the tracks. They wanted to follow them but they didn't want to leave tracks or evidence of their presence, in case they might have to set up a trap later on. The tracks led through the forest into a clearing where they saw a cabin. They gathered that it was inhabited since there was smoke coming out of its chimney.

They hovered in the trees, keeping out of sight, watching the cabin and discussing what to do next.

"Arthur, Sirius, sneak around to the back of the cabin and be ready to handle anyone who might run out the back way. Lupin, what does your nose tell you about all this?" asked Severus.

"I could smell two distinct people back at the cave but that's not to say that's all there is."

"Albus, you stay with the brooms and watch out for Death Eaters who might come through the forest" said Severus.

After giving the others time to get around to the back of the cabin Severus and Lupin left their brooms by a tree and pulled out their invisibility robes. The robes would not cover their prints in the snow but someone just glancing out the window might not see them coming. Once they made it to the cabin they charmed their tracks to disappear and quietly made to a window so that they could get a better look.

Inside the cabin Severus saw two men sitting at a table eating their dinner. He could not spot anyone else in the cabin and it looked as if there were only two beds being used. They then quietly went to the door and on the count of three they blasted the door open and stunned the two men.

Severus then went to the front door and called for Albus then the back door and called in Arthur and Sirius. They looked around the cabin but could only find one piece of correspondence telling the men to watch and grab one of the kids, should the kids get close enough. It also told them not to spend too much time in the cave as the spell used to allow them access to the property was time limited and could only be used for four hours each day.

Severus didn't know what the spell might be and looked to Albus for his help.

"I am not sure" said Albus, "But the wards we put on the house are different than the ones we put on the grounds. When we get back I will look them up but I am afraid that we might have to use more wards on the property and that will take some time."

Severus shook his head then said, "There is always a loop hole, and they will always find it. I feel like we are forever trying to play catch-up with them. Well, whatever it takes.

So Albus, do you think they still can't see the house but they just know where the property might be and they were just waiting for one of the kids to come close to them alone?"

"Yes, I think that's what is happening and further more we can't take these two back to the house until we check them for homing devices. Even then we should port-key them to the port-key entrance that will turn into a jail cell upon their arrival. We shouldn't stay here very long. These two might be here for the duration or they might just be filling a shift so we need to leave."

With that they checked the prisoners for homing devices and finding none port-keyed them to the entrance.

They erased all traces of their presence then headed back to the house. Once back they floo'd Alastor Moody who came through and met them at the entrance.

"How did they find you?" asked Moody.

"We're not sure," replied Albus, "I'll have to work on that a bit.

"Well, I'll take these two back to headquarters and see what I can get out of them. I'll floo you my findings in the morning Albus,"said Moody.

"Take care Alastor" said Albus, "I'll let you know what I find out about the wards."

*****************

Severus filled everyone in at dinner. "We won't be able to use Sled Hill until Albus can figure out how those Death Eaters knew the kids were in the area. He will have to work new wards on the property before we can let anyone out by themselves. In the meantime there are plenty of things to do inside. You can even set up some contests using those muggle computer games downstairs. Just remember to include Cassy this time so we don't have her doing something stupid."

Harry was very quiet at dinner and departed to his room as soon as he finished. He was still really angry with his Dad for shutting him down like he did. After all, he was the one to find the snow cave then his Dad acts like he doesn't exist. He would even let Harry stick around when they were talking to Moody but had sent him out of the room.

Severus had noticed that Harry seemed upset and figured he knew why. Harry still could not absorb the fact that he was twelve years old and not twenty. It was not his job, yet, to fight the bad guys. Sadly that time would come much too soon.

Severus went to Harry's room to talk with him. He knocked on the door and heard a very quiet "Come In". He entered the room and found Harry sitting on the window seat looking out across the lawn.

"We need to talk Harry" said Severus.

"Why" replied Harry, "It doesn't seem to make any difference what I say so why bother to talk. You seem to know it all and already have your mind make up, you're not interested in any other opinion. Everyone wants me to learn how to fight but never tells me what I am supposed to fight or why. They call me all kind of names like the 'chosen one', hinting that Voldemort is coming back and I seem to be the only one that can do anything about it. Then when I use my learning to try and help, out you all come down on me and tell me I'm just a baby and to stay out of the way."

Harry took a breath and continued, "You know what, I really don't want to talk to you! You all seem to have your own agenda and as of today I refuse to play. If you're just trying to raise some robot soldier you can pick on someone else. So as of today you can take your greasy hair, and your fake 'I care about you' attitude and sprinkle it over your fish and chips or something, because as far as I'm concerned that's all it's worth."

The whole time Harry was speaking his voice was rising and by the end of his tirade he was yelling at Severus and crying at the same time. He felt full of rage and frustration and he didn't know what to do with it so he just let it all out. His common sense told him he would pay a high price for this outburst but his feelings told him he just didn't care.

Severus understood that he was distrusting of adults and because of that the behavior just naturally followed. But one of these days Harry was going to have to start relying on Severus to take care of him and not Harry taking care of the world.

The Ministry, Albus, and many other had taught Harry to subconsciously believe that he was the one and only savior of the world. They had helped him to believe that he was 'the chosen one' and that only he could save the world while all the adults stood by and watched him 'fight the good fight'. Oh they didn't use those words but that was the message that they were giving him.

Then he, Severus, comes along and tells him to act like a twelve year old and leave the war of the world to him right now. It is no wonder the kid is messed up.

Severus knew that Harry was in a rage and he also knew there was only one thing he could do to put a stop to it. He grabbed Harry by the scuff of the neck and the seat of the pants and literally duck-walked him to the Study.

When they reached the Study he planted Harry next to the couch that was in the room. Severus then spelled the door locked and put up a silencing spell.

He walked over to Harry, grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him slightly while at the same time he landed two hard smacks to his backside.

Harry had become very quiet when Severus had grabbed him in the bedroom. It was almost like a switch had been turned off and he was now back in reality and reality was not a very pleasant place to be right now.

He knew that standing by the arm of the couch was not a good thing. His Dad always used the arm of the couch when he planned on a serious spanking. Harry couldn't even envision how many rules he might have broken while he was yelling and being disrespectful but he figured he was about to find out.

Severus never said a word as he was using all his will power to keep himself calm. After delivering the two smacks he turned Harry back around so they could look each other in the eye.

He looked at Harry for a moment or two and could see that while the rage had subsided it was still there on the fringes and it would not take much to get him worked up again.

"You have a decision to make Harry. You can pull yourself together and talk to me in a normal and respectful tone of voice …..or… we can continue on this track and I will blister your bottom. The choice is yours!

Harry was in shock and his eyes were already filling with more tears. The words he wanted to utter would just not come out his mouth and he felt like his body was just going to explode. His next act was one of total frustration and desperation as he turned to Severus, wrapped his arms around him and started a low, moaning sob. It was not a crying that comes from pain of a physical nature but one that comes from a hurting heart.

Once the tears started they just would not stop and Harry found that he just didn't care.

Severus wrapped his arms around Harry and let him cry out all the stored up frustrations and anger. He knew that by the end of this he would once again be drowning in snot and tears but for the first time in his life he felt totally wanted, needed and scared that he would not be able to handle it in a healing manner.

Words were not needed as Severus and Harry stood in the middle of the room until the tears slowed down. Severus handed Harry a handkerchief and took him to a corner. "Harry, I want you to stand in this corner until I call you, and use the time to gather your thoughts. Just work on calming yourself and think about what it is you want to say to me." With that he left him and walked to his desk to wait.

Severus wanted Harry to be totally calm and allow him time to regain some dignity before starting their talk. They were not going to leave the study until they had talked this out even if Severus had to order a meal for them to share.

It took Harry a few moments to realize that his Dad handed him a wet towel for his face then sent him to the corner to calm down and gather his thoughts, which he was grateful for.

He wasn't ready to face his Dad after some of the things he had said to him. He wasn't really sure what he had actually said and what had just been thoughts that he wanted to yell out but all of it was pretty bad and not necessarily true.

His Dad had been there for him and he knew that Severus loved him so why did he feel so angry at him. He figured he might be able to find out since it seemed that his Dad was not going to let him go back to his room until they had talked this out.

As he stood in the corner he realized that he felt empty of the anger and was just left with a lot of questions so perhaps his Dad could help him find some answers.

Severus sat, in his armchair by the fire, watching Harry standing in the corner wiping his face. He was still experiencing a hiccup in his breathing as his crying subsided but he seemed to be calming down.

It had been fifteen minutes and Severus could tell that Harry was thinking about what had happened and could sense that perhaps he was ready to talk about what was on his heart.

"Harry, please come over here and have a seat" said Severus.

While Harry walked over to him Severus called Bibi and ordered tea and cookies for the both of them.

When Harry came closer Severus could tell that the boy was embarrassed about what he had said and how he was feeling so he stood up and pulled Harry into his arms. "It's over now and all is forgiven Son. I loved you before you yelled at me, I love you now and I will continue to love you no matter what you do or how you feel at the moment. With that said he kissed the top of Harry's head and just held him.

Harry needed to hear those words from his dad and once they were spoken he didn't understand his feelings but he felt that it was time to share them with his Dad.

"Harry, lets have some tea and cookies then talk about how you're feeling," said Severus.

Harry blushed as he started sipping his tea and nibbling on a cookie. Finally he worked up the courage to look at his Dad. He expected his Dad to still look angry but was shocked to see a look of genuine concern coming from his face and Harry sensed an openness and eagerness to what Harry might want to share with him. This gave Harry the confidence he needed to start talking.


	23. Severus And Harry Start Building Bridges

CHAPTER 23-Severus and Harry Start Building Bridges

With tears forming again in his eyes he said, "I didn't mean all those things I said Dad, I do care and I love you very much. I know you have been there for me. I really don't know where all that came from it's just that lately I have felt so angry all the time and frustrated. On one hand I feel that I have to learn all this fitness, dueling and spell work because I have to do something big and as everyone says in a round about way, save the world. But on the other hand I hear you telling me that I am just a kid and don't need to be involved in all that grown-up stuff. "

Harry continued, "Everything I have found out about Voldemort and what's happening has been by accident or sneaking around and seeking out information. I know about the prophesy because the Goblins talked about it, but I don't really know what it all means. I know about the Order of the Phoenix and how they are supposed to fight Voldemort and protect me but then every time I ask about it someone tells me I don't need to know."

"I really feel that I do need to know! You said after the fiasco in the tunnels that you guys would talk to us and keep us informed but no one has ever said anything to us about it. It's like it never happened and we are just supposed to forget that there are people out there trying to kill us. I think I have a right to know since it's my life."

"Another thing is that you guys call us the 'Companions' and you have us all working together but you have never, ever explained why or even what 'Companions' mean. What are the 'Companions'? What part are they supposed to play in what is happening? What are Horcruxes? Why didn't Quirrell Die?"

"I really understand now that we put ourselves in harms way when we went to Malfoy Manor and I understand it was stupid to go down into the tunnels when we knew there were Death Eaters down there that could kill us. But Dad, there are things we can do, we are getting pretty good at spells and such and if we aren't ready to fight yet at least you can share with us how and why we are bound together. I mean really, we aren't stupid Dad. All of us are Animagi and it is just not natural to have so many of us. There has to be a reason for all this and we just want to be included in some way so that we don't feel so isolated so abandoned."

"You once told me that like it or not I could never be a normal, regular kid because of who I was and what life had dealt to me. You have yet to share with me what that means. If I can never be a normal kid then why are you constantly asking me to be one?"

"Then there are those stupid emotions! One moment I am really happy and enjoy all the company and family and the next moment I just want to punch someone out and everything seems to grate on my nerves. "

"Sometimes I just want to run away and hide, at other times I just want to slug someone and sometimes I would just rather die and get it over with."

Harry was crying again so he stopped and blew his nose. He felt he had said enough without sharing too many secrets. While he loved his Dad he didn't know if he could trust him to understand what he was saying to him and he wasn't quite ready to put all his information on the table.

Severus just listened as the boy emptied his heart and it hurt him to know that the adults had continued to cause so much pain and frustration. Severus had thought that they were doing the right thing in protecting the kids but perhaps they had protected them from too much. They owed the kids some answers, at least some of the answers.

Severus sighed then said, "Harry, I hear you and I do understand your frustration. I'll try and answer as many questions as I can but some of them will have to wait until I can get permission from others."

He continued, "First let's talk about your emotions. What you're experiencing is normal for a kid your age. Your body is changing from being a boy to being a man and your hormones are playing havoc with your emotions. It won't last forever but it is not a pleasant age to go through. I can remember going through it when I was a kid but I had no one to talk to about it so it constantly landed me in trouble."

"Anger is just another emotion like love, hate, joy, and sorrow. The trick to anger, like any other emotion, is how you express it. If something makes you happy, you might express your happiness with a smile, a hug, or a kiss. Expressing anger is the same. Anger works for you when you choose how to express it and not let it use you. Choosing how to express your anger is anger management"

"Although anger is a normal, healthy emotion, it's also a powerful emotion that can get in the way of what you want. The most valuable tool you have for managing anger is self-control. Fortunately, it's a tool that you've been sharpening for years. Self-control keeps you from telling Mom that her hot dog idea was crummy or your best friend that her new hair cut looks stupid. It keeps you from cutting class just because you forgot about the test."

"All I can do for you is suggest some remedies that might help. When you're feeling angry go find a punching bag. There is one here at the house in the gym and there is one set up in room of requirement if you think about needing a gym. Just lean into it and beat the hell out of it until you're tired. I think you will find that you will feel better and the anger panic will pass. Go for a long run. You can improve your fitness and at the same time release some of your anger in a healthy way. You can also always come and talk with me. Just let me know when you're feeling messed up and we can take a walk or hide away in a room or on the grounds and talk it through. It won't take away all your mis-placed feelings but it can help. If I know what is happening ahead of time then I won't misconstrue what you are doing with just having a tantrum. Tantrums I will not tolerate, frustration I am willing to work with you on."

"Now, the other point of your frustration is a bit more difficult to deal with. I can answer some of your questions today but with some of them I need permission from the Order before I can share with you. I promise I will not leave you hanging but will let you know what I can share and what I cannot share with you at this time. You have to understand that it is not just your life that we are dealing with and that the answer to some of your questions just might put other lives at risk."

"Your Grandfather was supposed to talk with you guys on a regular basis and I just learned recently that he didn't follow up on that promise. I apologize for that and from now on I will take it upon myself to talk with all of you about the situation. I have not followed up on it yet because your Mother wanted Christmas to be problem free. We have tried to give her that Christmas but it would seem that Malfoy and his followers have other ideas."

"The subject of 'Companions' and what that means is one of the things I will need to get permission to talk with you about, but I promise to get back to you within a week," said Severus."

"We found out last year, with the Quirrell experience, that Voldemort is not dead. He will come back we just don't know when. You beat him when you destroyed him last year but you did not actually kill him. He has ways of returning and we haven't found a way to stop him yet."

"When he returns he is going to come for you because of the prophesy. I know you know about part of the prophesy but not all of it and neither does Voldemort"

"Voldemort didn't get to hear all of the prophesy, just a part of it. So we are trying to keep it from him. I can't share with you where it is at but it names you as the one who will ultimately kill Voldemort and that part he knows about and that is why he is after you. It also says that you have a gift, a talent, if you will, that can beat him or kill him. That is what we don't want him to hear. It says, _The thing he knows not is the love of a friend, the loyalty of the Twelve Companions, who circle the chosen One and share in his burden. The Boy cannot win alone but the love expressed in the unity of the Companions, the Devotion they share and the True Friendship they cherish, can and will defeat the Dark Lord."_

"To get to you he is willing to snatch someone close to you and try to force you to come to him. He knows you have a good heart and would never allow someone to be killed if you could do something to prevent it. That is why we are training you kids to fight and why we strive to keep you all together. We want you all to not only fight for yourself but to protect each other when we can't be there."

"Actually Harry, you don't have to fight him alone, and you can't win without the help and love of your friends. That is what we do not want him to find out. Let him think that you are his only problem."

"What you do need to come to terms with is that you are not big enough, tough enough, skilled enough, or prepared enough to take on a bunch of Death Eaters or Voldemort .........YET! You are twelve years old. When I say you need to act more like a twelve year old I mean you have to realize that there are things you are not prepared for yet."

"So...........go play as much as you are able, with what time you have left to be a kid because you will be that grownup that you so desperately strive to be much too soon."

"What I will do is ask the Order to involve you in some research and perhaps spell development. There are many things you can do for the cause without putting yourselves on the battlefield yet."

"There was no need for you to go to that Ice Cave today other than just to be there and be involved in fighting. You had accomplished what you were able to do best and it was proper to allow those who are best at fighting to accomplish their tasks. I am very proud of you for not following those tracks but coming back and alerting me to the problem. Just a few months ago you would have waltzed into the forest and probably gotten yourself killed in the process. You are gaining maturity by the day and it's beginning to show."

"That is all that I can share with you right now Harry unless you have other questions? I will talk with the Order and see what else we can share with you and perhaps involve you in some of the research that is going on. Give me a week and we will meet again only this time we will meet with the rest of the Companions and friends, if that is OK with you?"

It was far more than Harry ever thought that his father would share with him and now he was feeling a bit guilty about not sharing the information that he had with his Dad. But like his Dad, Harry needed to talk to the rest of the kids as they had to decide as a group what to share with Severus and what to keep close to the vest.

"OK Harry, you can go now but with a word of warning. Let me know when you're feeling torn so we can talk it out and don't let it get to the point that it did today or you will be one very sorry little boy. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir" said Harry, as he stood up to leave. He started to walk toward the door then turned around and came back to Severus who was standing by the fire. Harry wrapped his arms around Severus and said, "Thanks for everything Dad, I really appreciate you listening to me."

"My pleasure Son, now go get some sleep we have a big day tomorrow.

********************

Instead of floo'ing over a message Alastor requested permission from Severus and receiving it came himself, joining the nightly adult gathering that was taking place in the Great Room.

"Alastor, to what do we owe the pleasure? I thought you were going to floo us a message tomorrow," said Albus.

"I wanted to discuss what we are going to do and ask that you keep the kids inside for the next few days. We extracted information that these guys are working on shifts. Although we have been unable to find out how they are getting past your grounds wards we are going to use the cabin for a sting operation."

"We have taken hairs from the two that you captured and will use polyjuice on a couple of our own then plant them at the cabin. We will just keep picking them off as they arrive until they catch on. When that happens they will probably send a bunch of Eaters and I don't want anyone in the vicinity that might get hurt. We have ten Aurors not far away that will portkey right into the mix once they receive hear the barrier warning going off telling us that Death Eaters have arrived."

"I will make sure that everyone stays away from the area until you tell me it's clear," said Severus. "Good luck with the sting and if you need any help just let me know."

Alastor replied, "We don't need any help but I hope you can work overtime finding out how your property wards went wrong and how to fix it. When you find out let me know so that I can spread the word to others who are using the same wards. Also, I don't know if you got the message but there have been sightings of strangers walking around Hogwarts. You hadn't mentioned any alarms going off so I thought I would just let you know to keep an ear open for them."

"Thanks Alastor" said Severus, "We will check out Hogwarts and see if there has been any penetration."

*****************

The next morning everyone gathered to take the trip to Diagon Alley. Albus had sent out rumors that the kids would be shopping in Hogsmede the next day in hopes that the Death Eaters would use today to prepare to capture them leaving today in Diagon Alley somewhat safe.

"Everyone listen-up" said Severus. "This has to be a short trip as it has the potential to be quite dangerous. We want to give you time to finish your Christmas shopping but you will have to shop fast. Molly, Alice and Cassy will be remaining here for their safety and the rest of us will be divided up into groups. Each group will have one of the adults and an Auror with them. Once you are finished we will all meet up at the Leaky Caldron no later than noon."

The parents then handed out Christmas spending money to the kids and off they floo'd. Once at the Leaky Caldron they divided up into their groups and headed off to the stores.

Harry had finished most of his shopping but still needed to find a gift for Cassy and Hermione. Cassy was easy as she had been trying to dye some of her cloths black to match her Dads robes and accomplished nothing but getting into trouble for it. Harry finally found some jeans, a shirt and a robe in black that would fit her and that just left Hermione. She was a hard person to buy for, even if you wanted to buy her a book it was hard to figure out if it was one she didn't already have. Harry finally spotted a music box that played a tune that she was constantly humming. It was a song that her mother sang to her when she was a little girl and when she was feeling sad she would hum it. While she didn't hum it as often anymore perhaps having a music box would help her deal with those melancholy times.

The groups gradually started gathering back at the Leaky Caldron when all of a sudden there was a scream. Harry looked up just in time to see Percy being grabbed by a Death Eater, and before he could even call to his Dad, Percy had been port-keyed away.

Harry raced to find Severus and the others finding them heading toward him. He filled everyone in on what he had seen.

"Why didn't anyone try and stop them?" asked Severus.

Arthur answered, "It would seem that Percy decided to purchase one last gift and went off by himself. When the others argued with him he just told them he didn't need any protection as he could take care of himself."

"We all need to get back to the mansion" said Severus, "If Percy has the opportunity he will use his port-key and arrive soon." He then floo'd Alastor from the Leaky Caldron informing him of the attack and letting him know he was taking the group back home. Alastor said he would meet him at the manor and in the meantime ask Albus if there was any way they could track the port-key that Percy was wearing.

3


	24. Percy Goes To Jail

**CHAPTER 24-Percy Goes To Jail**

(_Please forgive the long delay as illness decided to pay me a visit. The treatments like Chemo really sap all your energy and creative juices but I am beginning to build my endurance back up and will try to add more chapters as I am able. Please enjoy)_

They arrived back at the manor and Severus immediately called the house Elves to ask if Percy had arrived yet. "No Sir, replied the elf, we have not seen Master Percy."

Severus then turned to the group and asked, "Who was with Percy, what team was he with?"

"He was with our team Dad," said Draco, "but he kept wandering away on his own. I told him that we needed to stick together but he just said that 'he didn't need a bunch of kids hanging over his shoulder, that he could protect himself."

------------

Percy was getting frustrated, he had a secret girlfriend and he wanted to buy her a Christmas present. He knew that if the younger kids were hanging around and saw him buy the gift that they would give him grief and probably tell his mother and then she would want to ask ten million questions about her. They would kid him about it forever, especially the twins.

Since he was the oldest of the group, he felt that he could take care of himself for the few minutes it would take to go into the jewelry shop and purchase her the bracelet he had picked out for her.

Just as he reached the doorway to the shop he heard a pop right behind him and before he could even turn to see who it was he felt the sensation of being port-keyed to a new location. His fear was immediate as he felt the 'getting sucked through a tube sensation' along with feeling like he was going to 'chuck'.

He knew he needed to keep a cool head but as soon as he smashed into the concrete floor of his new destination he was grabbed from behind by two Death Eaters.

"Search him for a portkey" said Lucius. "The last time we captured them they portkeyed away before we even knew they had one."

They found Percy's portkey and yanked it off his neck then threw him into a dirty, wet, moldy cell.

Lucius wrapped up the portkey and along with a note, he sent it off to Arthur. Lucius had a plan to get Arthur to spy on the ministry for him and if Arthur knew that his son's life was on the line, his compliance would be swift.

Lucius and a small group of Death Eaters went to the cell that held Percy.

"I want some answers Weasley" said Lucius. "Where are they keeping Potter?"

Percy just gave him a dirty look and said nothing.

"Silence will only bring you pain" said Lucius, and having said that he cast the Furnunculus Curse and laughed as Percy broke out in boils all over his body.

Lucius then turned to the men around him and said, "One hundred galleons to the one who can shoot a popping hex on the greatest number of boils without touching the surrounding skin."

The men just laughed then lined up to join in the contest. After the fifth round of hexes Percy was screaming as thirty or forty boils had been popped and were painfully seeping all over his body.

They were running out of visible boils so Lucius removed Percy's clothes with the wave of his wand, leaving all the boils on his body visible for hexing.

Soon the contest was down to three contestants and Lucius decided to take a break. Percy was all screamed out and just lay on the concrete floor oozing puss and crying.

"We will return soon, Weasley, and then we can play some more games' laughed Lucius. "You might want to take this time to give some thought to answering my question. If you just let me know where they are keeping Potter then I will heal your body and let you go, if not I will still heal your body just so I can hex you again and we will have some more target practice. Think about it Weasley!"

Percy had never in his life experienced so much pain. It took him a few minutes to realize that they had stopped. He reached for him amulet, only to find it gone. Then he remembered that they had taken it when he arrived.

Without the amulet he didn't know how he was going to escape and at that moment he realized that he just might die.

Percy lay on the cold floor, having given up to the pain and hopeless feelings, when he happened to glance at the one window in the room. It had bars but no glass and the cold was chilling him to the bone.

As he continued to look at the window he watched as a small lizard flashed his tongue at a fly and enjoyed his dinner. That was when the idea hit; He had forgotten the fact that he had another gift that the Death Eaters didn't know about, one that just might save his life.

He hadn't completely transformed without assistance from Professor McGonagall, but he had to give it a try. If he would transform into a Fire Lizard then he could escape through the bars of the door and find a way outside and away from the wards. Once away from the wards he could then apparate to somewhere safe.

Percy knew it was risky as he had never apparated any great distance. He was taking the classes but was not yet certified but he had to try.

Everything was going to be risky, but he knew that if he didn't take the risk then he was going to die eventually as he knew they would never really let him go.

The first thing he had to accomplish was transforming into his Fire Lizard form. He began to concentrate, which proved very difficult because of the amount of pain he was in. He concentrated harder and harder and soon he began to feel the change happening. Finally, when he looked back at the rest of his body he saw that he had in fact completed his change and now was the time to move.

For some reason, perhaps since he was an Elemental, his Lizard form did not carry with it all the boils and hexes. He didn't have time to think about this as he had to scamper through the bars on the door and out of the cell before the Death Eaters returned.

He made it out of the cell and into the adjoining chamber when he heard the Death Eaters returning. He quickly looked around for a place to hide when he spotted a hole in the wall. He raced for the hole and found he could barely slide through it.

Once in the new room he noticed that the window was open and the bookcase surrounding it provided a way to climb up to it. Carefully he made his way to the window and barely pulled himself outside through the bars then fell to the ground.

It was a good thing he was on the ground level or he might have broken a few bones but he was safe and he was outside. Now he had to scamper off until he could clear the wards.

Moving as a Lizard wasn't as slow as he had anticipated but it still took awhile to find the ward boundary. Once passed the boundary he searched around for a crop of trees to hide as he transfigured back to his human form.

When he transfigured back he was reminded quickly that his human form was damaged as the pain hit his brain like a sledgehammer.

Now he had to concentrate on apparating. If he didn't do it correctly he could very well risk splinching.

Concentrating for all he was worth he attempted apparating and found himself in the alley right beside the Leaky Caldron. Being naked he wasted no time running into the Leaky Caldron and, grabbing a handful of floo powder. He then threw it into the fire, stepped in and spoke clearly, but quietly, "Snape Manor".

When Percy opened his eyes he found himself lying on the floor of a holding cell at Snape Manor. He knew he would be in a bunch of trouble but at least he would be alive, he then passed out.

---------

Draco finished telling Severus what happened with Percy, Severus then told one of the House Elves to stay by the holding cells and let him know if Percy should appear.

There wasn't anything they could do at the moment so Severus told everyone to have some lunch and get some rest as they waited to see if Percy might find a way to escape. He also contacted Moody to give him a heads up on Percy's disappearance and asked him to keep an eye out.

While eating lunch a Raven appeared outside in the owlery with a message for Arthur. A House Elf brought the message to Arthur who scanned it for dark magic and finding none proceeded to read it;

_Authur Weasley,_

_We have your son and if you want to see him alive again you will have to agree to work with us in gathering information from the Ministry. If you agree to work for us then meet me tomorrow night at ten at the Shrieking Shack. Come alone or you will receive your son's body in pieces. _

_LM_

Arthur did not send a reply nor did he tell Molly about the message. He showed it to Severus who agreed with him that they would have to just wait and see if Percy could escape. There was no way that Arthur would work for the dark side and he knew that they would never let Percy go.

About three hours later Dobby appeared in Severus' study. He was jumping up and down and saying that Percy had appeared in the holding cell. Severus called out to Arthur and everyone who heard the call ran down the stairs to the cells and found Percy lying on the floor in one of the cells.

Severus opened the door and enervated Percy so that he could verify that it was him and not a Death Eater masking as Percy.

Percy came around, and even though he was in a lot of pain he correctly gave Severus the pass word.

Severus then covered him with a blanket and asked Dobby to take him to the infirmary room. Severus went with them so he could start healing him immediately, while Arthur and the rest of the crew all walked to the room.

Severus was just finishing up with healing Percy when the rest of the family arrived. While Percy was in a lot of pain and looked bad there was nothing that couldn't be fixed in a hurry. Soon Percy was resting comfortably, looking and feeling much better than when he had arrived.

When everyone settled down, Arthur asked Percy to tell them what had happened. When Percy finished his story the kids all looked at him in awe and started asking all kinds of questions.

About that time Arthur cleared his voice and everyone could see the anger on his face and decided it would be best to leave the two of them alone.

After they left, Arthur pulled a chair and sat down. Percy could only remember a few times that he had seen this look of anger on his father's face and it didn't take long to figure out that he was in trouble.

"Tell me ….WHY…. it happened Percy" said Arthur.

"Percy swallowed then decided that the truth was the only way to go. I wanted to buy a special gift and I didn't want the kids to heckle me about it forever, and they would have when they figured out it was for a girl. So I told them I would be right back and I went right next-door to the jewelry shop. I knew it would only take a minute and I really didn't need them to protect me as I could take care of myself."

Arthur looked at him for a moment then spoke with a very measured voice. "Yes, it is apparent that you can take care of yourself. That you were able to get away so quickly is probably due to pure dumb luck rather than skill."

"Did it ever occur to you that perhaps even though you felt that you didn't need them to protect you that they needed you to help protect them? You left them vulnerable when you could have just told the Auror with you why you needed to go to that shop without them and accommodations would have been made for you."

"You are part of a team Percy, and that team has to be able to count on you. You seem to have lost sight of that fact as you have been becoming an army of one. We are family, Percy, we trust, love and work with each other so that we can all get through this war alive. Your Mother is pregnant and when she found out that you had been taken she passed out. Her most feared nightmares were coming true, she felt like she had lost a son. All that just because you wanted to do your own thing without any thought of how it might affect the others."

"Percy, I could blister your butt, but physically, you have suffered enough and I think you're getting a bit old for spankings. Instead I am going to treat you like an adult. You broke the rules, rules you agreed to abide by. You not only endangered your own life but you put the lives of others in danger also. Since you want to be a loner then I will treat you like one. You are sentenced to a week and a half in jail."

"Severus says that you are healed and just need some rest. There is an isolation cell downstairs. After providing you with Azkaban clothing, you will be transferred to that cell and you will remain there until Christmas. I would leave you there for Christmas as well but your Mother wants the family together. You will have no contact with the family as the House Elves will provide for all your needs such as a shower every other day, medicine, and food three times a day."

Arthur continued, "When your time is up I will return and I hope that you will have given your actions a lot of thought. I will want to know at that time if you desire to still be part of the family, a son I can count on, a person I can trust, or if you wish to go off and be on your own. If that is your wish I will do my best to see that it happens."

"You can't do this to me Dad!" said Percy.

"Oh, I can and I will" replied Arthur.

With that Arthur called Dobby and gave him instructions as to the care of Percy. When he finished Dobby transferred Percy to the isolation cell.

Arthur continued to sit in his chair for awhile, praying, that he had don't the right thing. Percy needed to embrace his family or it would cost him his life one day. Arthur prayed that Percy, during his time of isolation, could remember how special it was to have loved ones surround him, even if they gave him a bad time once in awhile.

Arthur sighed, stood up and proceeded to go to his wife and explain his decision. He knew that Molly would have a fit, but he was not backing down on this one. He also needed Severus to put wards around the isolation cell so that the rest of the kids could not try and free him from his punishment.

----------

Severus was in his study, deep in thought, when Arthur and Albus arrived. Arthur looked beat and quickly accepted a short glass of Fire Whiskey when offered. He then shared with them what he had done to Percy.

"Arthur" said Severus, "I really think you did the right thing. It will give him a chance to really sort out his priorities and get his head screwed on right. He could have easily been killed but it was almost like he had taken 'Felix Felicis' what with all the luck that went his way."

"I know," said Arthur, "But you were lucky not to be in the room when I told Molly what was going to happen. Needless to say I hope you have another spare bedroom because it looks like I will need it until Christmas."

"There are plenty of bedrooms Arthur, take your pick. I'm sure she will come around once she has had time to think about it." Said Severus.

"While I'm thinking about it," smiled Arthur, "I need you to put some special wards around his cell so that his Mother and the kids can't work up some plan to break him out of jail. You and I both know they will try".

"I'll get right on it," laughed Severus, "and while I'm doing that perhaps you and Albus can conjur up some portkey rings for the kids. Lucius knows about the portkey necklaces so we will have to change up a bit. I figure we leave the necklaces on the kids so that if they get caught again the Death Eaters will take them thinking they have neutralized the problem. If we fit them with rings that they can touch with their thumbs while saying the password it can solve two problems. First it gives them an out that the Death Eaters don't suspect. Secondly; The boys had problems with theirs because they were tied with their hands behind their backs. The rings will work even if they are bound up."

"That's a good idea" said Albus, "We will get right on it."

Severus went downstairs and ensured that the wards would keep young Percy locked up until Christmas and probably keep the kids busy for days trying to find a way around them. He also asked the House Elf on duty to let him know if any medical problems appeared while Percy was isolated.


	25. Reflections

CHAPTER 25- Reflections

Things were rather tense at the breakfast table, the next morning. The kids had been informed that Percy was in an isolation cell and would remain there until his Father determined otherwise. They were also informed that there were new wards around the cell and if they made any attempt to break them then Severus would know and they would find themselves experiencing the same treatment in one of the other many cells located in the basement.

Molly was still not speaking to Arthur and constantly mumbling insults, under her breath, loud enough for those close could hear but quiet enough that no one felt they were being drawn into a conversation. Everyone could tell that she was livid and would probably remain that way for quite a while.

Arthur had moved into one of the spare bedrooms, further confusing the Weasley kids, as they had never witnessed this happening before between their parents. They could also see that their fathers face was set and that he was not going to change his mind.

Albus informed everyone that he and Bill had upgraded the wards. Moody had finally released them from isolation and the kids could start playing outside once again.

Basically everyone was working hard at staying out of the line of fire.

_______

Percy was in shock. As he looked around his eight by ten foot cell his mind was having problems wrapping itself around the picture. He was dressed in a standard Azkaban prison uniform and there was a bed, a sink, a commode and one door with a small four inch by twenty four inch window and a cup.

He was left with his own thoughts as company, there were no windows, no sound and no people. His meals showed up on the floor by the door at prescribed times and the containers disappeared automatically thirty minutes later, at least he thought it was about a half hour but he had no way to tell the time. He had learned this lesson the hard way when his first meal vanished before he was able to finish it. The food was good and nutritious but not fancy by any stretch of the imagination.

Today a note accompanied his dinner meal. He quickly opened it hoping for some good news but was sorely disappointed.

_Percy,_

_I received this note and thought since you felt that your actions did not affect anybody else that you might learn some insights from it._

_Father_

Arthur had included the note he received from the Death Eaters. Percy read the note and felt a sinking sensation in his gut. What had his Father said? "You need to realize that what you do affects others."

It had taken all his courage to escape from the Death Eaters only to be imprisoned by his own Father. He knew he might be in a spot of trouble for going off on his own but this was ridiculous! He had used his skill and talents to escape and make it back on his own and that should have proved his point that he didn't need to have a baby sitter all the time.

That is what his brain was telling him but his heart was trying to share with him a different message. If it had not been the objective of the Death Eaters to make his Father spy for them he would have been killed. He had only been kept alive because they wanted to use him to hurt the Order, his family, and his Father. But it had only been a couple days and Percy was not yet ready to even think about being wrong.

______

Molly was having a similar battle. Her heart just wanted to hug her son and make everything alright again. She rationalized that all boys make mistakes, but life goes on. He was alive and that was all that counted. The Mother in her was screaming and the language it was using was beating up on Arthur. She felt that if she really threw a fit about this situation that he might give in and let Percy go. Instead he remained firm in his decision and complied with her request to move out of the bedroom until he could come to his senses.

Her logical brain was speaking to her of another message. She knew that Percy had been withdrawing from the family. He was at an awkward age, being too young to be on his own yet to old to really relate to all the younger kids. She and Arthur had talked about the need to give him more responsibilities and quit treating him like a child. Things were just happening so fast that they had not gotten around to it yet and now it was a bigger problem.

Molly knew they were going to have to come to a compromise but Percy had to admit that he was part of the problem before they could even start that dialogue.

------------

Severus and the rest of the Adults required the kids to use the time between breakfast and lunch for training and study. The professors had assigned plenty of holiday homework, much to the dismay of the kids. From breakfast they made their way to the library with the exception of Blane.

Blane was still meeting with Professor Lupin trying to work through his experience with Tom Riddle. Blane didn't remember much of it but as the Professor explained, "Just because your conscious mind does not remember that doesn't mean that your sub-conscious mind is equally blank". Blane was having fewer and fewer nightmares and beginning to understand what had happened to him and that it wasn't his fault.

Sirius also wanted Blane to bond with the rest of the kids as he tended to be very quiet and withdrawn. Granted he was a year younger but he was still old enough to mix with them and learn how to live in a family environment and socialize with real friends.

Sirius figured that Blane couldn't be around the twins very long without being drawn out of his shell. What he didn't count on were the Twins taking him under their wing and teaching him everything that the Adults would rather he didn't know.

Sirius's bed had been 'short-sheeted' and he wasn't really sure if the Twins or Blane had been the culprits. At first he was a bit ticked but quickly thought back to his days as a kid and figured that 'short-sheeting' a bed was mild. If that meant that Blane was coming out of his shell then perhaps it was worth the embarrassment. He decided that he would allow for two more pranks before he struck back with a few pranks of his own.

-----------

The kids were in the library trying to find resources to help them complete a Potion Essay that was rather troublesome. Add to that a very stubborn Hermonie who refused to help them and it was turning out to be a very boring morning.

Hermonie was finished with all her essays and was working hard on another one of her projects. She wouldn't share with anyone what it was but it seemed to keep her very focused.

Hermonie never shared much about what she was doing until she felt she had the answers to her research problem, and this one was giving her fits.

She had overheard the word "Horcrux" and she was as determined to find an answer as the library was determined in not granting her access to the books she would need.

It was frustrating having to take the time to solve numerous problems that were standing in her way just to finally get back to the original question. This might frustrate the average student but it just fueled the fires for Hermonie.

Ten minutes ago she finally found a spell that allowed her to bypass the restriction placed on her in the library. Now she was working on a spell that would allow her to change the cover of the book she was working with to one that would be acceptable to her Dad if he should catch her reading it.

By lunch time the kids had finished their essays and Hermonie felt she was ready to tackle those books that had been placed off limits.

Harry and the group chose to go outside and check out the rest of the property after lunch but Hermonie indicated that she still had a few final touches to put on one of her assignments and would follow them later.

Hermonie found it to be slow going as she could only pull one book to read at a time. She never knew when Severus, Albus or someone equally observant who frequented the library might check on her activities.

It took a couple days to figure out the catalogue system only to find out that it was just like a magical computer system. She could write a word on flat permanent parchment then it would disappear and list of books dealing with the subject matter would appear on the parchment. You could further refine your search by adding or subtracting descriptions and words to the parameters. It was a pretty slick system and Hermonie wanted to ask Professor Dumbledore why it wasn't used at Hogwarts.

While she no longer had to search the shelves for subject material related to her search, she was still slowed by the process of only being able to pull one book at a time but it was better than no books.

She checked her watch and it was getting close to dinner time. 'Perhaps just one more book' she thought to herself. She found the tome way back in the corner and when she pulled on the book it would only tilt and would not slide off the shelf. She tried to pull it off the shelf again and the same thing happened. She thought for a moment then pulled the book out as far as it would tilt then left it.

It took only a few seconds before she heard a click and a whole section of bookcase, the size of a very small doorway, slipped forward about an inch. She had found a secret passageway.

After checking the library to make sure she was still alone, Hermonie pulled the doorway open slowly. Nothing jumped out at her and surprisingly it did not smell old or musty.

When she looked in all she could see was darkness so she pointed her wand and cast 'Lumos'. The tunnel seemed to stay flat and straight but she couldn't see very far by just using her wand.

Hermonie really wanted to investigate this passage and almost talked herself into exploring at least part of it when her common sense or perhaps self-preservation kicked in.

'_Anytime we do things alone we get caught and we end up in big trouble'_, she thought. Calming her excitement she closed the passage door and decided to ask the kids to meet with her tonight. Together they might be able to explore the passage, remain safe, and most importantly stay out of trouble with their parents.

-----------

After Lunch the kids decided to check out the barn area. They had completed a quick walk-thru with the House Elves when they first arrived but they had not really taken a close look.

Looking at the barn, Harry called it a 'Hallmark Moment' which just confused most of the kids who had no clue to what he was talking about. The classic barn structure with snow all around and on its roof, you couldn't find a more beautiful picture. The only difference might be the kind of animals that you would find once you went into the barn.

The floor of the barn was raised and made of concrete. The floor sloped toward a drain in the middle which would help rid the barn of any excess water that might accumulate.

The ground floor housed Thestrals, Hippogriffs, 'Abada" or Miniature Unicorns along with the standard unicorns and horses, a couple milk cows, goats, and a small herd of beef cattle. The second floor was for hay, grains, food suppliments for the winter, a cooler where meat products were kept for the Thestrasls when it was too cold for them to hunt.

The third floor housed the bird population such as Owls, and a number of Phoenix.

Hagrid had explained to them that he brought with him a numbered of endangered animals like the 'Abada' and the Miniture Unicorn family. The Phoenix's felt safe here with all the wards and there was also a Centaur village, brought over from Hogwarts. The Centaur population was becoming too great to comfortably stay in the Forest at Hogwarts so a spin off family agreed to move to Snape Manor Forest. It would give them space so needed for growth and they would also serve so protect Harry and the manor.

If Harry were still in the muggle world he would have called all this space a fairy tale and perhaps in a way it was. One thing he did know, it was wondrous and beautiful.

By the time they had explored every nook and cranny of the out buildings it was time for dinner and they headed toward the manor.

Dinner was full of excited, noisy talk as the kids relived their afternoon discoveries. Toward the end of dinner Harry noticed that Hermonie was being very quiet. He watched her for a few moments and noted that she was eating a moderate amount of food for Hermonie so she wasn't sick. That only left two options; First she was mad and if she was mad she would not be eating at all, so that was out. That meant that Hermonie had some information she was itching to share but could not because they were in mixed company.

Figuring it out he looked at her and smiled, letting her know that he knew. He turned to the kids and said, "I think we ought to take Hermonie out to the barn and show her those cute little miniature unicorns".

Going back out into the cold was the last thing that the kids wanted to do but they all caught the look in Harry's eyes and agreed that this was something that was a must and that Hermonie needed to see this special treat.

The kids talked Severus into letting them carry a thermos of hot chocolate with them and began to bundle up. Severus cautioned them not to put on too much thermal wear as during the night the barn is closed up and heated.

Soon they were off, all wondering what kind of news Hermonie had to share with them. Once they arrived they checked the place out to make sure no one was there then sat around on hay bales, sipped chocolate and listened to Hermonie as she shared with them the story of her finding the hidden passageway at the back of the library.

Everyone was in silent thought for a few moments then their eyes began to sparkle and they knew that they were in for a couple days of heavy planning. They would all be in the library the next morning and that would be a good time to start the exploration. First hey could send a couple kids down the tunnel while the rest of them could cover their absence if someone should come in.

One of the twins would definitely go exploring as the other twin could cover for him. If Draco, Ron or Harry were missing when an adult came into the library it would send an immediate red flag so Neville and Hermonie would go also. Neville was getting downright dangerous with his wand and would serve well as a protector. Also he was able to cast a Patronus now and could call for help.

They decided that for the first trip to only explore for thirty minutes. They wanted to take this slow and not set off any alarms. They had experienced enough trouble over the past few months and were learning to be more careful and protect themselves from discovery.

Once they had their plans in place they headed back to the manor reminding each other to be very excited about the wonderful animals they had discovered in the barn area.


	26. Potions And Portals

CHAPTER 26-Potions and Portals

The students drew the attention of Severus as they seemed to be more awake than normal. Usually it took them forever to eat breakfast then drag their bodies to the library for study time.

Today they finished eating in record time and were on their way to study without even one complaint, '_definitely not normal'_, thought Severus. He would make it a point to check on them to see what they were up to.

Harry and the crew made their way into the library and set up as normal for study except they stationed Ron near the door with Harry, while Hermione and the search team set up their books at the back of the library near the secret door.

Two-by-two, Hermione showed the kids the entryway and the procedure to open it. Once they saw what they were dealing with they gathered together to finalize their plans.

Ron heard someone coming down the hall so the kids reverted to 'plan B' or talking about a potion essay that was due. When Severus silently walked into the room he found the kids gathered together and as he listened it became clear that Hermione was guiding the rest of them on what books to pull so they could improve their papers.

When she finished Neville, Fred and Hermione all worked their way to the rear of the library and waited for Ron to let them know that Severus was gone and it was time to begin. They were sure that he would be back but they should have a good hour before they had to worry.

As they carefully entered the passageway they noticed that the floor seemed to be level. This meant that the wall on the outside of this location of the house must cut into the hill. They continued to follow the path as it turned gradually to the right and started to follow a gradual slope downhill.

After walking about one-hundred feet they came to a doorway. When they peeked inside, what Hermione saw caused her to squeal with delight. There were books everywhere and they looked to be very, very old. She knew they had hit the jackpot and she would be able to find what she had been searching for and probably much, much more.

There were four desks in the room all next to each other and positioned facing the bookshelves. There was also a cupboard next to the desks which contained hundreds of vials of some type of potion. She took one and put it in her pocket so she could try and find out what it was later on.

Hermione was caught up in checking out the book titles when Neville reminded her that they only had fifteen more minutes before they had to return to the library. This warning brought her back to reality and they continued down the hallway.

The passage finally came to a dead end in a large circular room. On each side of them were two portraits of the founders. Right in the middle as they looked at the room was a portrait of Merlin. Beside Merlin's portrait and between the two portraits on each side were four doorways. Instead of a regular wood door there appeared to be a water-like substance that you had to walk through.

Hermione, Fred and Neville stared at the wondrous sight then Fred uttered the words they were all thinking……."Portals".

"Yes," said Neville, "But where do they go?"

As Hermione looked closer at the doorway she noticed that above the door frames were runes. "I don't know" said Hermione, "But I think the runes over the doors probably give directions. We're running out of time today so let's write them down so we can try and look them up later."

They quickly copied the runes then turned to leave the chamber and return to the library. As they left no one noticed the smile on Merlin's face. Once they were out of earshot Merlin said to the Founders, "They are getting inquisitive, it won't take them long to figure this room out."

"You're right" Godric replied. "They are still a bit young and they need the knowledge they will find in that library before we can share everything with them."

Helga replied, "Yes, but I have a hunch they will show up in our chamber at Hogwarts before much longer and I feel we should initiate a dialogue. "

"I agree", said Salazar, "That self-appointed heir of mine is bound to return soon and they need to have the knowledge and skills to deal with him."

"Yes," said Rowena, "And it's becoming very apparent that Dumbledore has lost his edge. He can't seem to understand that this is not his war, but the Companions war. He is not preparing them and if he continues in this vein he will end up getting them all killed."

"I think that Severus Snape is someone that we need to deal with" said Salazar. "It is apparent that he loves those kids and will do anything to protect and prepare them. He seems to be stepping up to the plate when it comes to training also. I feel like he is someone who we need to work with, without, inviting Dumbledore into the conversation."

"I have had many a talk with Minerva" said Rowena, "She definitely understands her husband's short-comings. I am sure she will work with us also. She may love Albus very much but she is bound and determined to do everything she can to help the Companions."

"The next few months ought to be interesting" said Salazar, with a smile.

---------

The search team arrived back at the library about ten minutes before Albus and Severus walked in. The two men walked around checking on the various essays and research that was in progress. They had been sure that they would find some kind of trouble brewing; the kids had been just too willing to study this morning. They casually checked in with each and every one of the kids and could find nothing suspicious.

Finally, Albus said he had things to do and left. Severus was not one to give up so easy so he grabbed a book, sat next to the window and proceeded to read.

The kids all smiled then worked hard for the next couple hours, finishing up on their essays. They knew they couldn't talk to the search team, and what they discovered, until later so they might as well make this time productive. If they finished all their work early they would have more time to play and explore.

Before they all took off to lunch, Severus asked them to remain seated for a moment. He had promised Harry that he would make more of an effort to keep them informed as to what was going on.

"I promised to talk with you and try to share some information as to what is happening with Voldemort. We can do that tomorrow morning or you can wait until Percy can be with us for the discussion, it's up to you" said Severus. "I don't have a lot of new information yet. Because of the holidays I have not been able to meet with the Order, but we can talk about some of the issues that are bothering you"

"We haven't had a chance to talk with each other and write down our questions" said Harry. "It would be best if we could wait until Percy can be with us so he doesn't feel so left out."

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement so it was decided, much to Severus's relief, to wait until after Christmas Day and just concentrate on having fun.

"That will be fine" said Severus, "I just wanted you to know I have not forgotten about our understanding".

-------------

Percy had just returned from his allotted shower to his dark and quiet cell. The time alone with his thoughts was getting to him as he was thinking about things that he would have much rather just buried.

While he still felt like he didn't deserve this drastic treatment he was beginning to be honest with himself. His Father was trying to give him a wake-up call and he knew it. He had been wallowing in self pity for quite awhile, feeling like he was invisible and didn't really belong.

He was feeling picked on but if he was honest about it he had brought a lot of it on himself. He tried to act like Charlie or Bill but every time he did he ended up looking like a haughty jerk. When he tried to blend in with the rest of the kids then he ended up getting smacked like a five year old. He couldn't seem to find any middle ground that fit.

Truth be known, he really didn't know how to fix it. He felt out of place when he was with his family yet he felt so lonely without them. He wasn't really sure what his Dad wanted from him.

His Father had allowed the House Elves to leave the note Arthur had sent to him along with a pen. Percy surmised that he was being allowed to answer the note if he desired to. He had picked up the parchment numerous times but he still didn't know what to write. He was about to pick it up again when lunch appeared.

-----------

Today everyone, except Percy, showed up for lunch and it was a noisy affair. As Harry looked around he was relieved to see that Molly and Arthur were sitting next to each other and seemed to be talking in normal tones. Ron told him that his Dad was still sleeping in the spare bedroom but at least they were talking again.

"We are cleared to venture outside again" said Fred, "So I think it's time to get our bobsled races back on track!"

Everyone started laughing and agreed it was time to get out of the house and as Minerva put it, "Frolic" a bit.

The House Elves lit the patio fireplace and provided plenty of snacks and hot chocolate. Molly and Alice were placed in the most comfortable chairs where they could see the sleds and still stay warm by the fire.

Severus announced that Cassy and Minerva were to be the first to race off the hill. While there were others who had not finished their first race yet he wanted Cassys race to be supervised and it was best to let her go first. He had discussed this with his Mother ahead of time and told her that he and Albus would charm the sleds to go slower and she could let Cassy win. Minerva had decided that she wanted to watch and not ride after the first trip down the hill had rattled her bones. She agreed to hand off the win to Cassy then go and sit with Alice and Molly.

Soon everyone saw the two of them racing down the hill, but at a considerably slower pace than the last time. Cassy didn't seem to notice, all she knew was that she was now part of the group and even better than that, she was ahead of her Grandmother. When she won you would have thought all her dreams had come true. It took them at least fifteen minutes to calm her down and get her to sit with them to watch the rest of the race. Of course now she became the announcer and gave a running commentary on each of the racers.

Next up was Fred and George. George ran a pretty clean race but Fred had loaded up with snow balls and was pelting George in the head all the way down the hill. George had so much snow in his face that he couldn't see where he was going and went off course for quite a distance before realigning his sled. Fred won the race but the judges, Molly and Alice, declared foul and gave the victory to George. Fred pouted for quite awhile but finally gave in to the fun of watching others racing down the hill.

Erica and Ginny tied twice and had to race three times before they could announce Erica the winner. Both were so tired that they really didn't care as they just wanted to sit by the fire and enjoy some hot chocolate.

Harry and Ron were so busy watching each other that they once again veered off the path and went over the jump. Both of them were separated from their sleds and while their sleds went on to race each other down the hill both boys had to be rescued and given first aid. They were banned from the hill for the rest of the day because of injury but allowed to sit with the others and watch.

Neville beat out Draco and Luna barely landed a win over Hermione. Blane would have to wait until Percy was released to race but didn't mind. He had been out earlier with Lupin and they had raced each other down the hill a couple of times.

The daylight was coming to an end so they gathered up their things and retired to the warmth of the house. Most of the kids went to their rooms to change and would end up in Hermione's room.

They put up the silencing charm and listened while Hermione, Neville and Fred shared with the group what they had found down in the tunnels.

"I know it is against my nature", said Hermione, "But I feel we shouldn't share with Dad all that we know. We shared about the tunnel at Hogwarts but only after we knew we had another entrance we could use. I feel the same about some of the information we have in our possession now. We need to figure out what we can share and what we want to keep close to the vest. I really feel that while Dad wants to include us in as much as he can, if he knew half of what we know he would shut us down in a split minute. He loves us and worries about us and I don't think he could allow us to use any of this knowledge until he felt we were old enough to handle it. That is just my opinion, for what it's worth."

"I agree" said Harry.

"So do I" said Neville and Draco at the same time.

"Dad would never let us explore these tunnels or read half the books in that library, at least not until he had explored them all himself and declared them to be safe", said Harry. "And I don't feel too bad about it, he said himself that he wouldn't be able to share everything he knew with us if the Order won't let him and we all know that Grandfather is not going to want to share anything."

"You do realize that if our parents ever find out that we knew all this, and didn't share it with them, we will probably be grounded for the rest of the year not to mention the physical discomfort our bums will experience" said Ron with a smile on his face.

"I think we can share a bit about the Horcrux situation" said Hermione. "I mean it just takes common sense to figure out that they exist and there must be more than one since Harry destroyed the book yet they are still talking about the Dark Lord returning. I'm still not sure exactly what they are or how they work but I have a hunch that the library in the passageway might have the material we need to find out."

"I'm not too worried about Dad" said Erica. "Right now he is more worried about who is pulling pranks on him, Blane or the Twins" she said with a smile.

The Twins and Blane all blushed but didn't say a word. They knew that about dinner time, when Sirius showered and dressed for dinner, he would be in for another shock. They also knew that Sirius was a prankster but he was also pretty smart. As long as they could keep his mind on pranks he would not put much effort into trying to keep up with what they were doing.

"As much as I want to go back to the library I guess we should stay away from there until tomorrow. Dad would think its normal for me to go but he would really get suspicious if we all volunteered to study after dinner. We had better start down for Dinner before they begin to wonder where we are and why it's so quiet" said Hermione.

With that they all headed toward the dining room, all hoping for a big meal as they were starving. They had just reached the living room when Cassy came flying into the room, tears streaming down her face, screaming for her Daddy.

Harry caught her and said, "What's wrong?

"Mommy is sick, Mommy is sick, she's on the floor and she won't wake up."

Severus had heard the screaming and just entered the living room. After hearing Cassy he tore up the stairs toward the bedroom, yelling for someone to call Poppy.

Hermione went to the fireplace and Floo'd Madame Pomfrey, telling her there was an emergency. Poppy came through the Floo and immediately headed up to the Master Bedroom Suite, telling the kids to go into the dining room and stay there until they were called.


	27. The Mirror Effect

CHAPTER 27- The Mirror Effect

As Severus entered the Master Suite he saw Alice lying on the floor, curled up in a ball, as if she were in pain. She was not conscious but her breathing was steady and while her pulse was a bit fast, it was not irregular.

Arthur followed Severus to the bedroom knowing from experience that Severus would need support and would not, could not, be emotionally objective. Arthur felt that he might be able to give him support until Poppy arrived.

Severus was beside himself. He had vast knowledge in repairing damaged bones and healing up cuts and bruises but this was beyond his knowledge and skill. He tried to make his wife as comfortable as he could without moving her. He was not sure if moving her would cause more damage or pain so he fought the desire to move her off the floor and onto their bed.

She looked very pale and her face displayed pain wrinkles yet she was not conscious and could not speak for herself. He felt like he was going to explode with worry when he felt an encouraging hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw the experienced face of Arthur, a father of seven, and he didn't look scared. In fact he looked rather calm with no indication of panic. This gave Severus hope and he seemed to draw from Arthur's calmness to reign in his own emotions.

They sat on the floor together with Alice, Arthur quietly supporting Severus, until they heard Poppy coming through the door, firmly telling those who followed her to wait downstairs until she called them. She then shut the door and proceeded over to Alice.

"Severus," said Poppy, "You have to move sweetheart so I can take a look at her".

Severus found it to be very difficult but, with Arthur's help, he moved aside allowing Poppy access to Alice.

Poppy opened her bag, taking out what she would need for a diagnosis and calmly began working. About ten minutes later she smiled and told Severus to elevate his wife to the bed, change her clothes and make her comfortable.

Severus looked at her like she had lost her marbles, but her smile calmed him and he knew that once he had settled his wife into their bed then Poppy would share what she knew.

While Severus did his best to make Alice comfortable Poppy gathered the potions she would need to administer to her. Once she had infused the potion Alice began to regain a healthy color in her face and her pulse rate slowed to a, marginal, but healthy rate.

Poppy then asked the guys to take a seat and she explained to them that Alice had Pyelonephritis, as the Muggles would say. If she were a Muggle it would be much more dangerous but being a Witch she should respond to the Potions given to her rather quickly.

"What in the world is Pyelonephritis?" asked Severus. He recognized the 'itis' portion but did not know how the rest of the word related to the body.

"It is a bacterial infection of her kidneys" said Poppy. She will need to stay down for a few days and I will leave you the Potions she needs to take. I don't recommend leaving her up here all day, perhaps you can make her comfortable on one of the couches in the living room. She needs to rest but this being the holiday season, and knowing how much Alice loves Christmas, she needs to feel like she is a part of it. Also Severus, as you know she hates, as much as Harry does, to be levitated, so you will have to carry her up the stairs each night or her blood pressure will probably go up again" laughed Poppy.

"She will be fine Severus, and the babies are both just fine. More good news for you is that once she recovers from this she will most likely be over that hormonal rollercoaster that Alice goes through during Pregnancy and she will be able to experience a normal Pregnancy for the rest of her term."

Severus breathed a sigh of relief and allowed the tears that had been forming to flow. Arthur, knowing just how much Severus would not want to be seen crying, motioned to Poppy to go with him as he prepared to leave. "Do you want me to let the rest of the kids know Severus?"

Severus kept his back to Arthur but nodded his head as he continued to stroke Alice's hair and face. He had been so scared he was going to lose her. He had endured so many years of loneliness and in just a matter of one year his life had become so full of happiness. He was husband to a wonderful wife and father to a bunch of great, even if ornery, children and he wanted it to last forever. His tears were dripping into his lap and he made no effort to stop them. Soon he felt a little hand grab his robes and a very small human climbed into his lap and gently wiped his eyes with a handkerchief. "Mommy will be fine Daddy, Uncle Arthur said so, please don't cry" said Cassy as she cuddled down into his lap and just held him as best she could.

As Severus wrapped his arms around his youngest daughter he knew in his heart that the powers that be, by whatever name they might be called, had smiled on him and things could not get much better.

The kids and extended family had been told that Alice would be fine and that they were to leave Severus and Alice alone until later when Alice woke up. They would have plenty of time to talk with her later but she needed her rest right now. Arthur assured them all that the best thing they could do was to prepare for Christmas as Alice really loved the Christmas season almost as much as she loved her family.

Christmas was only a few days away and everyone realized that they still had to work on their special gifts for the Christmas Dinner that Alice had wanted.

--------

While it seemed a bit cold hearted both Hermione and Harry realized that with Severus spending so much time with their Mother he would not be checking on them as close as usual. It was a perfect time to research the information they had recovered from the hidden room.

They quietly passed the word to the rest of the kids to meet them in Hermione's room. There they decided to divide into groups as that would attract the least attention.

Ron, being the one who liked research the least, along with Blane, and Erica went to the game room.

The Twins, were best at Potions and they had permission to use the lab. They would begin to break-down the contents of the vile that Hermione took from the secret library to see what it might be used for.

Neville and Ginny were going to check out the Greenhouse to take an inventory on available potion ingredients that might be available in the future.

Luna volunteered to watch Cassy and make sure she didn't get into trouble, or listen into conversations that she might share with her father. She might be little but she was smart and very sneaky.

Hermione, Harry and Draco would tackle the library and see if they could translate the runes found over the portals.

With a plan in place they each went to their given areas with Ron, Blane and Erica being the most pleased although trying to hide it. They promised that they would also check on the adults periodically and make sure they were all oblivious to what was going on.

----------

Hermione handed out one runes book to each of the boys then with a wave of her wand she changed the cover on all three books.

"I still have not been able to do that" said Harry. "You need to work with us on it."

"Speak for yourself Brother, I have it down just fine!" laughed Draco.

Harry just sent him a smurk and walked away to one of the tables nearby. Draco smiled, walked over to Harry and sat down next to him and said, "Here brother, let me show you". After a number of attempts Harry finally had the wand movements down and began to lose his smurk and replace it with a smile.

"Thanks," said Harry.

"Don't worry about it," said Draco. "Maybe you can teach me a couple of those moves on the broom that give Dad heart attacks" he laughed.

"Deal" replied Harry.

While the boys were playing around and making their deals, Hermione was hard at work trying to find the root to this particular rune language and becoming very frustrated.

"It doesn't match any of these root words" said Hermione. "I just don't understand it at all".

"Is it even close?" asked Draco.

"No! In fact it doesn't even come close to following the basic rule of rune writing. It's like it's all turned around or backwards."

Harry stared at Hermione for a long time, making her feel very uncomfortable. "What's wrong Harry?" asked Hermione.

"Backwards", mumbled Harry.

Draco was staring at Harry and felt something weird in his head. It felt like a wave of water rolling through, leaving sentiment in its path. Then it dawned on him that he was picking up on Harry's thoughts. Not so much his exact thoughts but the thought string or process.

"Harry" said Draco, I just saw in my head what you are thinking about. That was weird!

Both Harry and Hermione looked at him than at the same time asked him what he saw.

Draco looked at them strangely for a moment then said, "You were thinking about the word backwards and had a picture of the portal, and you were trying to figure out how they fit together."

Hermione slapped her head with her hand and gave a disgusted grunt. "How could I have been soooooo stupid? The runes are backwards." Then she ran over to the mirror on a small wall and held up the pictures of the runes. She then copied them down again as they appeared in the mirror, and brought them back over to the table.

She looked at the questioning type looks that each boy was giving to her and said, "I think we are seeing the writings from the wrong side of the portals. Wherever these portals go is written on the second line. If you notice, the first line is always the same. There has to be a spell or release that makes the ruins visible on this end also, we just haven't found it. I bet it's something simple, like 'reveal'. What we are seeing is a very faint hint of what is written on the portal at the other end. We can still get the answers to what we are looking for from here. "

Using her new drawings it didn't take long for them to figure out what the ruins said and when they did they were astonished.

"You know what this means don't you?" said Hermione.

"Yeh, all these places are available from that room" said Draco.

"Yeh, but if they are all available from this room, is there access to this room from those four locations?" said Harry, "And if so just how much danger are we in?"

Hermione replied, "I don't think you can just walk through the portal into a new location, there has to be a spell to go with it in order for it to be safe. Perhaps the library will give us more information on how to access them."

"Do you guys realize that we have access to the Founders Hall at Hogwarts, St. Mungo's, Gringotts, and the Department of Mysteries at the ministry, through these portals?" said Hermione.

"There are only a couple problems with that," said Draco. "First, we need to learn how to activate them and secondly, we can't just go barging through since we really don't know where we would end up, especially at the Ministry".

"That's true" said Harry, "But at least we know more now than we did earlier."

Hermione added, "That and the fact that we now have a possible way of accessing the Ministry without walking through the front doors."

About that time Ron came running through the door. "Professor Dumbledore is on his way down here. They haven't seen you three in a while and are looking for you."

Ron ran back out so Albus would not get suspicious and the other three hid the books on ruins and pulled out their Potion books and essays. Hermione waved her wand and the ink on the last portion of the essays became damp, as if they had just written it. They became very studious and presented a perfect picture of studious students at work when Albus entered the library.

He did a bad job of hiding his surprise and gratefulness at finding them hard at work doing what they were supposed to be doing instead of mischief.

"Don't you think you have been working long enough?" said Albus.

The kids stretched and acting as if they had lost track of time and agreed with him.

"Why don't you all go outside and enjoy the fresh air for a bit. Perhaps you can gather up the rest of the children and visit the back barn. Hagrid is visiting the animals and I am sure he would love to see you."

"Hagrid's here? Great! Come on guys, let's go visit with him, we haven't seen him in a while."

Albus smiled and left the room and Hermione returned the books on ruins to their shelves. They gathered up their packs and headed to the game room to invite Ron and the crew to go with them. They knew that the Twins would be busy for a while longer and didn't want to draw attention to them.

-------------

Later that evening, while they were waiting for dinner, Draco pulled Harry aside and motioned for him to follow. They went to the Atrium where Draco turned to Harry and said, "We need to talk about this mind-link thing that is going on".

"I've only experienced it once and that was when you were beaten so badly" said Harry.

"Did you hear voices, or see pictures or emotions?" asked Draco.

"With me it was like I was experiencing it with you. Your pain was my pain and your thoughts came through as thoughts not just pictures or words. It was like they were my thoughts but I knew they came from you," said Harry.

"That's how it was with me earlier. I was processing the information and I think we both came to the same conclusion at the same time" said Draco.

"We have to remember" said Harry, "That our temporary animagus, the Dragon and Dragon Rider, are coupled, so it would make sense that we would develop some form of communication other than speech. We need to ask Dad if we can learn how to control it so it doesn't just happen."

"Well, right now" said Draco, "Let's just let it happen and see where it goes. It could be a neat gift that we could use for other things, if you know what I mean."

Harry laughed, "Yeh, like warning each other of coming danger or helping each other with spells and such."

"I wonder if any of the others have developed this gift" asked Harry.

"I don't know but I think once or twice Ginny and I seemed to connect," said Draco. "That could have happened because of the beating we both went through".

"Next time we all meet we need to bring it up and see if any of them have noticed any changes" said Harry.

They left the room and headed back down to the living room when they met up with the Twins who were coming from the library.

"We did it" said Fred.

"And we found it described in one of the old potions books in the secret library" added George.

"You went down to the secret library" asked Harry, "You could have been caught".

"One of us kept an eye out while the other looked for the potion" said George. "We seem to have this new ability to talk to each other in our minds" said Fred.

"So it worked out perfectly" added George.

Harry and Draco just stared at each other. "We all really need to meet as soon as possible" said Draco.

"You got that right" said Fred.

"Not only about the potion" added Harry, "But some of us seem to be developing some kind of mind connection like the one you just described".

"And we have deciphered the ruins and you'll never guess in a million years where those portals lead to" added Draco.

The Twins looked at both of them then together said, "Awesome".

-------------

They all gathered in the living room where Cassy proceeded to climb into Harry's lap and tell him the good news.

"Harry, I helped grow a plant. I had to get all this yukky dirt on my hands and then we had to add some real smelly stuff to it. Neville said I did real good and my plant will be bery happy."

"That's great Cassy, what kind of plant was it?" asked Harry.

"It was a green one and it tried to bite me, but Neville saved me. I was going to smash it but Neville said that if we could put up with its bad behavior and help it grow then it might help save people from hurting. So I didn't hit it but Neville said I could cut the stem when it finally grows up and I'm really ready to do that" she said with a 'severus' smurk on her face.

"I bet you are little one and I will cheer you on when the time comes," said Harry with a smile.

Dobby called them to dinner and all the families and extended families with the exception of Severus and Alice gathered in the dining hall.

Harry looked around and thought how strange it was to have so many people in this house yet it never seemed to be very crowded. It was a wonderful house and he didn't think he would ever find out all its secrets but he would sure try hard.

4


	28. Christmas

CHAPTER 28- Christmas

Christmas was right around the corner and Molly was beside herself. She had talked all morning with Arthur, trying to convince him to let Percy out so he could be with family. Arthur was adamant, Percy would not be set free until Arthur could sense a change in his behavior or he requested to be separate from the family. So far, although Arthur had purposely left parchments and a quill in the cell with him, no communication had been written or communication requested.

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As Severus watched the family struggle with their son's problem he thought back to when they had first seen Percy in the cell. Severus, wanting to make sure it was really Percy, had used Legilimency on him and what he saw disturbed him.

Percy felt totally detached from his family and harbored dark thoughts as to how to regain some of his self respect. He still wore Bill and Charley's hand-me-downs, and allowance was a very uncommon occurrence in the Weasley family. No matter how hard he worked at being the responsible one, making great grades in school, achieving leadership positions in school, it still felt like he was invisible in his family, almost like he wasn't there. Percy felt like he was lost in a crowd.

Dealing with these feelings of loneliness led him to wonder if he might be able to rise above it all and make a name for himself and his family that would be respected in the wizarding world.

Perhaps, just perhaps the Dark Lord had a few good ideas. Everyone respected him and his followers, at least they gave them pretty much what they wanted and a very wide berth. It was crazy thinking, but when you feel downtrodden and lost you start thinking crazy thoughts, anything to take away the pain.

From Percy's perspective his father garnered no respect from the Ministry, and was treated like a minion.

Severus saw all this and decided to arrange a bit of a movie show for Percy. He made copies of memories that showed exactly what it meant to be a Death Eater, the corruption, the murder, torture, and exactly how insignificant each Death Eater was to the Dark Lord. There were also memories showing how much the Dark Lord feared the Weasley's and memories of conversations from respected officials talking about how much they respected Arthur and his family for walking in the light even though it put them in horrible danger. He included memories that explained why Arthur was kept in lower paying jobs, that they feared him having any authority or in a position where he might sway opinions. He then ordered the House Elves to show some of these memories. Using advanced magic, Severus caused the images to be reflected on the cell wall each night after dinner.

Severus didn't act independently; he would never put someone's child through that without permission. He talked with Arthur and after hearing about the thoughts running amuck in Percy's mind Arthur agreed that this action was necessary.

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Percy was feeling horrible. Many of the memories made him so sick that he lost many dinners over the past week, but it was the mental pain that hurt the most.

To think that he had given even a shadow of a thought to working for that monster made him feel dirty. He had no idea just how much strength, dedication and guts his Father had. To stand up to the constant threat of losing one's family, yet still be able to continue doing what was right rather than what was easy took true bravery. Why had he not seen it before? His Father, no matter the cost to himself, was trying to keep his family out of the hands of this monster. Through the conversations with other respected leaders he learned that his Father was kept low in the pecking order because they were fearful of allowing him any power. His Father deserved respect and not the contempt that Percy had been showing him.

The problem was that now Percy was wallowing in so much self contempt that he was at a standstill. How could he undo what he had done, how could he make this right? Then he looked at the parchment and quill lying on the metal shelf and decided that he needed to quit thinking like Percy and start thinking like Arthur. Arthur, his Father, would find a way, he always found a way.

Percy began writing, not new thoughts or answers, but questions, the same questions he had just asked himself. He ended it with ……"Dad, I don't know how to fix this, please help me."

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Arthur was just finishing lunch when one of the House Elves brought him Percy's note. Everyone was perplexed and a bit worried when they witnessed tears in Arthur's eyes as he excused himself.

This is what he had been waiting for and he would not keep his son waiting. He realized it had to be hard for Percy to write this note and he had to let his Son know on all levels that he was still loved very much.

When Arthur walked into Percy's cell and pulled him into a hug, Percy finally lost it all and let the tears flow. Over the next couple of hours Percy shared how he felt left out and that he realized that while his solution was nuts he still didn't know where he fit in the family. He felt like it just didn't matter what he did, it never seemed to be good enough.

"Oh Percy", said Arthur, "I am so sorry! I guess this is what happens when people assume things without communicating. We thought you were OK, your grades were great, you were really heading in the right direction and taking every opportunity to better yourself. We thought everything was going well for you and thought we could spend more of our time with some of the kids who still had real problems. We just didn't know, because we didn't ask."

Arthur pulled Percy into another hug then said, "We can change that Percy. You need to know that you are loved very much and we are proud of you. I could make more money if I was willing to compromise my beliefs but I wanted to teach you all that respect and sense of worth come from a conviction that 'good' is the right path to take, even if it is the most difficult at times. I am sorry that it has been so painful for you but you need to know that with your behavior and actions in school that you have helped me so much in my task. You stood as an example to the other kids that you can achieve things no matter how nice your clothes might be or how much allowance you might receive. You showed them that hard work pays off. Even though they might not want to hear it they couldn't argue the fact since you were standing there with your great grades and a prefect badge. You created a world for yourself where you would have choices when you reached adulthood. You can be anything you desire to be when you grow up Percy and for that I feel eternally grateful and very proud."

"You are caught in that age where you are no longer a child, yet, you are not yet an adult. It is a hard age but perhaps your Mother and I can help you a bit. We can show the other kids how much we appreciate what you have accomplished by allowing you to stay in your own room while we are here, and not putting someone up in your room at home without talking it over with you first. While your main job is still getting a good education I feel we can take some time to start explaining our family situation and the struggles we have to go through. We have often tried to protect you from knowing just how hard it has been at times, but I feel you are old enough to deal with it and you might even have some good ideas on how to deal with it better. Things will change Percy, and I promise to have a Father and Son talk with you more frequently, and telling you the whole truth, or as much as I am able."

Arthur looked at his son who had tears freely flowing down his cheeks. He remembered a little toddler, running around the house, trying to read every book he could get his hands on. He remembered how Percy was probably the most infrequent visitor in the study when the paddle was necessary and he thought about how polite his son was from an early age. He was so together, so different, who would have known he was in such lonely pain. He would never let this happen again.

"Can you ever forgive me Dad?" asked Percy.

"I will forgive you Percy if you will forgive me" replied Arthur.

They decided that Percy would stay in the cell for another couple hours or until Arthur could call everyone together and let them know he was returning.

Percy was afraid to face the family and Arthur wanted to make sure they knew that all was well and that no one would give him a bad time or if they did they would answer to Arthur.

Arthur called Dobby and asked him to gather the family in the living room. Alice and Severus were already there and it would make it easier to everyone to join with them. Ten minutes later every chair was occupied and Arthur begin to explain to them that Percy would join them soon. "This has been a very hard time for Percy and I. The blame for what happened lies equally on each of our shoulders and will stay between Percy and myself. I am sure that the adults understand why and one day when each of you have your own children you will also understand. If anyone wants to ask any questions then ask me because I don't want Percy to be made to feel uncomfortable. Each of you in your lifetime will go through some rough spots and I am sure you wouldn't want the whole world to know all the intricate details. Let's just be happy he is back with us and let him set the pace and talk about it as he is comfortable. It is enough to know that Molly and I are very proud of what Percy has accomplished with his life and you should be also. We all have a misstep here and there but it does not take away from the good that has been accomplished. Now I have talked to Severus and he agreed that Percy is old enough to not have to share a room so he will move into the room I have been using and I will be moving back in with my wife, with her consent of course."

Molly turned bright red and said, "Of course dear, it will be nice to have you back."

Everyone started laughing and each took off for parts unknown around the house and grounds.

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Dinner that night was a joyous affair. Percy joined them and leisurely ate his dinner knowing that it wouldn't disappear in thirty minutes. The next day was Christmas and everyone was thinking hard on last minute preparations.

Alice tapped her water glass with her spoon, getting everyone's attention. "I want to announce another Christmas Tradition that we will be following this year. Tomorrow morning we will all gather at the tree and the kids gifts to each other and their gifts to us will be the only ones we are allowed to open. The Parents and friends have ensured that each of you will have twelve more gifts for the Christmas holidays but you can only open one each morning for twelve days. The Twelve-Days-of-Christmas will come alive for us. I have always thought that the day after Christmas morning was such a let- down. We get together, rip open all the gifts then it seems like it's over. I want to spread it out and make the whole holiday season full of wonder and joy. Therefore one of your gifts from your parents and the adults will be under the tree each morning and you can't open them until everyone arrives."

The adults already knew about this announcement and even thought it was great. The kids sat there looking at her like she had lost her marbles. But the look on Severus' face changed their looks to smiles and comments on how wonderful and innovative her idea was.

Cassy looked at her Mother and said, "Does that mean I get a present everyday for twelve whole days?"

"Yes, dear" replied Alice.

"COOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLL" replied Cassy who very much liked the idea of Christmas every morning. Then her face went from a smile to a worried look quickly. "Did you let Father Christmas know about this Momma?" asked Cassy, "He won't forget will he?"

"Yes, I let him know" answered her Mother, "And he said it will not be a problem."

"Well, I hope all the other families don't hear about it or poor Father Christmas will be pooped out" said Cassy.

After that everyone just laughed and got on with the program. Before they left Alice reminded them about the Christmas Dinner gifts and they all assured her that they remembered.

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Christmas Eve found all the families sitting in the large family room, the lights were very dim and a large fire was burning in the fire place. Outside was witness to soft snow flakes falling from the sky further covering the branches of the trees and adding another inch of snow to the pristine ground. Tomorrow would be a lovely day.

The extended family and friends had just endured an hour of Celestina Warbeck on the Wizarding Wireless Network. It was the favorite musical time for Molly and they knew that it was going to be one hour of pain verses many hours of torturous comments if they didn't let her listen and more importantly, let her think that they enjoyed listening to it with her.

Cassy had to be bribed by her Father. He could have just threatened her but then she would have sat through the program with a long face which would not make Molly happy. With the bribe of an extended bed time she remained happy through the whole show and Molly felt she had won a convert.

Now, thank goodness, it was over and more importantly, Molly would be happy for another year. Dobby had waited for the music of that awful singer to end before bringing in Christmas cookies and hot cocoa for all.

Conversations broke out, along with games and many, many picture albums. As Harry looked around he felt his heart burst. This was the first ever Christmas where he felt like he was a part of the celebrations and a first Christmas he could ever remember with real family and friends. Hermione was sitting beside him and when he looked at her he saw that she had tears in her eyes. Then it dawned on him, this was the first Christmas she would spend without her family and that must be painful indeed.

"I'm sorry Hermione" said Harry, "This must be really hard for you."

"It is in a way" said Hermione. "If I share something with you do you promise not to laugh at me?"

"I would never laugh at you Hermione, only with you" replied Harry.

"I miss that they are dead," said Hermione, "And that I will never get to be with them again, that is for sure. There will always be a hole in my heart where they used to be that can never be filled. The other side of the coin is that I never had parents or a family like this, even though, I always dreamed of having one. My parents never planned on having kids, I just happened. Don't misunderstand me, they loved me very much and took very good care of me. Our home life was always adult centered. My folks always went to party on Christmas Eve and we didn't open gifts until after lunch on Christmas because they got in so late. We would never go to church or put up lights as they just didn't feel the need to do so. When I was old enough I finally got them to put up a tree, but we never sat in front of it as family to just listen to music and watch the lights."

Hermione sighed then continued, "We would take many vacations, as they could afford to do so, but they were adult type destinations, they would never think to go to Disneyworld. I have always wanted to go to Disneyworld and someday I will."

Hermione looked him in the eye and said, "I loved them Harry, but my Mother was my best friend and my Father was the money pit and only a disciplinarian if he was forced into it by my Mother. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't that family of your dreams, know what I mean? And when I look around now that is all that I see, the family of my dreams and I feel really happy yet really guilty about feeling that way."

"Yeh", replied Harry, "I know what you mean. I sometimes love all this so much that I feel like I'm turning my back on my original family. Lupin once told me though that my parents loved me and that if they couldn't be with me they would want me to be happy. He said that being happy was honoring them and that they would want me to live each good day I could experience and never look back. Eventually, he said, I would see them again but until then they wouldn't want me to be miserable every day missing them. They are in my heart and when I am happy they are happy. That always helps me now when I find myself feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. "

"You know" said Harry, "Not everyone gets a chance to live out their fantasy life and we do, so I think we should just give into it and enjoy every moment. The kids in our family, of all people, certainly know what that means. It doesn't mean that we loved our original parents any less it just means that this experience is different and we can love it too."

"You're right Harry" said Hermione, "They would want me to be happy, they always wanted me to be happy and tried as best they could to make it so."

Unbeknownst to Harry and Hermione, Severus, while not looking at them, was definitely listening. He had seen the tears and was worried. After listening to the conversation the only thing he was going to worry about was getting a very special present for Lupin and making sure that he took his family to Disney World some day.

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Christmas morning found Cassy running from one bedroom to the next making sure that her contagious Christmas Spirit was inflicted on the occupants of each room. On her third trip through the rooms they all gave up and started to slowly and sleepily make their way to the Christmas Tree.

The House Elves provided coffee, tea and breakfast cakes to curb the morning hunger pains as everyone began to gather around. Since Cassy was the youngest , she was the designated present elf and began to distribute all the gifts. Alice would not allow anyone to open their gifts until she was through sorting the piles of gifts then all together they began to tear into the gifts.

Since these were all gifts to each other and to their parents none of them were overly large. They were all very special and some very unique.

Cassy loved the black outfit with matching 'billowing' cape that Harry gave her. "I can look just like Daddy now" she yelled in joy.

Severus provided his best smirk but inside he was always tickled that she wanted to be so much like him. It was a new and unique experience and he loved every minute of it.

Hermione's favorite gift that morning was the music box from Harry. It played the song that her first Mother would sing to her and Hermione in turn would hum when she felt lonely. It was a beautiful porcelain box with an owl on the top that spread its wings and appeared to fly when the music was playing.

She also received numerous pairs of earrings from each of the guys; Ron, Draco, Percy, Neville, Blane. Fred and George gave her a bracelet with little charms of everyone's animagus on it. On the card from both the earrings and bracelet was a clear thank you for all that she had done to help them with their studies and other intellectual pursuits. She knew what they were saying and smiled.

All the guys joined together and bought Harry a real leather jacket that he had admired numerous times. It had a picture of a Snow Owl tooled on the back and it was beautiful. The Girls joined together and bought him a pair of original Levi Blue jeans. He had never owned a pair and for some silly reason he had always wanted to own some. He couldn't figure out the why of it, but the desire was there and these jeans were beautiful to him.

And that set the tone for many of the gifts. Instead of a bunch of candy or study books, the kids really watched and listened to each other. Everyone received a very special gift. It usually required that all the other kids join in the purchase but that made it even more special.

There were other gifts of course, from those who were acquaintances, and friends. All in all it was a very special Christmas Morning and they all had to agree with Alice it was wonderful to think that this would happen for another twelve days.

Once they were finished, and the paper mess was cleaned up, Dobby called them to breakfast. It was after breakfast, while they were finishing up with tea or coffee, that Severus called in all the House Elves.

He then proceeded to thank them for all their hard work and told them just how special they all were to the family. After that he handed out a Christmas Gift to each of them by name. Some of them liked crafts so they received art kits or stained glass kits. Some like to knit and they received balls of yarn. Some, like Dobby, who were free, liked clothing. Dobby of course received many, many pairs of mismatched socks and was as happy as a House Elf can be. A small House Elf, who worked in the barn, loved boots. Severus had a tiny pair of Dragon Skin boots made for him and you would have thought Severus had given him the world by the way he carried on. All in all they were very surprised and very , very, happy. The Potters had been kind to them but this was different, this was family and they were not real sure how to take it but they knew it was a good thing. One thing was sure, Snape Manor was the place to be no matter if you were a human or a House Elf.


End file.
